Nexus Mage: A Different Choice
by Kyandi-Akatensei
Summary: Summary: What if Rette hadn't gone to Tenrou Island? How would life have progressed for her? This is an alternate universe version of my story Nexus Mage that will show how Rette's life would have been had she not gone to Tenrou Island.
1. Bad Omen

_**Summary:**_ What if Rette hadn't gone to Tenrou Island? How would life have progressed for her? This is an alternate universe version of my story Nexus Mage that will show how Rette's life would have been had she not gone to Tenrou Island.

Author's Notes: Greetings, my fine readers. This story is an alternate time line that shows the events of the Fairy Tail story from the eyes of Rette Starrilia, my OC, if she had decided to stay in Magnolia instead of going to Tenrou Island during the S-class exams. A bit of a warning, because of the increase in her age and the time that has passed, some events in this story line will play out differently than they will in the main story line. One of the things that will play out different is who ends up as Rette's love interest. If you want to see the differences, you are more than welcome to read both story lines for both will continue to follow the manga. That being said, since the manga didn't really go into detail about what happened during the seven years, a lot of what I write will be what I think. So everyone, please enjoy and review. I love praise, constructive criticism is welcome, but please do not flame me. Please and thank you! I do not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 1 Bad Omen

"Hey Rette, can I get a beer?"

"Coming."

Rette rushed back to the bar, snagging a mug and filling it before placing it on her tray. Since Mira had joined the others who had gone to Tenrou Island, Rette had been asked to mind the guild hall. She had been given the choice on whether she wanted to stay and run the guild hall, or go to the island and assist there. Rette had agreed to mind the guild hall.

She didn't really mind, in truth, though she felt a little weird staying behind since the rest of her team, Lucy and Wendy included, had gone. Even Thyme, following Lily as she normally did, had followed him and Carla when they had followed the others to Tenrou Island. Since Rette was trying to encourage Thyme to expand her world past just the two of them, she hadn't argued with Thyme's choice.

Besides...her crush on Lily was adorable.

So that left Rette in Magnolia, watching after the guild hall all by herself. Not that she was all too concerned about that. She had help from Laki and Kinana, and everyone was patient with her. But it made her wonder how everyone was doing. Rette paused on her way back to the bar and looked out a nearby window, wondering. Usually Mira would contact her around the middle of the afternoon if not mid evening. Just to let Rette know how things were going and to see how Rette was fairing being in charge.

Rette hadn't received her call yet, but she wasn't too worried.

From what many of the members of the guild told her, the S-class trials were difficult. Since Mira was helping out, she was bound to be busy. Rette heaved a silent sigh as she watched the snow falling outside the window. She would never say it out loud of her accord, but...she kind of already missed her team and their rowdiness. It was far too quiet without Natsu and Gray starting fights in the middle of the guild hall, pulling everyone else in on it.

"Feeling lonely, Rette?"

Rette turned her eyes to a nearby table where Macao and Wakaba were sitting together, a mug of beer before them both. She lightly shrugged her shoulders.

"Not lonely, so much as...it just seems quieter without them here everyday." Rette replied, returning to cleaning tables.

Macao, Wakaba, and several others at the surrounding tables, chuckled. It certainly was a lot quieter without the main trouble makers of the guild around to cause a lot of noise. Though Rette ran in the same crowd as those trouble makers, by herself, she never really caused much trouble.

"Weren't you upset not to get chosen, Rette?" Droy asked, leaning back in his seat to look at Rette.

"Not really. I don't really care about being an S-class mage. As long as I can continue to learn new magic and do my jobs, I don't care what rank I'm considered." Rette replied.

Rette carried her tray full of dirty dishes to the bar and sat it on the counter. She turned then to look at them, her arms folding over her stomach.

"Though, I would be lying if I say I wasn't curious as to what they are doing right now. As a person who likes to learn in new environments and take in new sights, I have been curious about Tenrou Island since I joined Fairy Tail. And as a person who also likes to grow through challenges, the mere thought of a tough exam appealed to me. But, I'm not really interested in the title of being an S-class mage. And since it's unnecessary for me to do my job, I don't see the point in going through the trouble." Rette said.

"You're a strange one, Rette. Everyone wants to be an S-class mage." Alzack called from where he sat with Bisca.

"Not me. I don't see the point. Yeah, you can take on higher class jobs that pay more, but I make enough between my normal jobs and working here in the guild hall. And then there is that whole recognition thing, but...I don't care if others recognize me as strong or not. You stay out of my way, I stay out of your's. Simple as that." Rette replied with a shrug.

"It wasn't that way when you stepped in to take Laxus on head-to-head." Jet replied.

"That was a different matter altogether." Rette retorted. "That was for the best of Fairy Tail."

"Aw, Rette! You really do care!" came a call from Max.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Rette retorted, turning her back on them all.

Laughter rung out through the guild hall. It wasn't so much a matter of caring as it was a matter of Rette being possessive. Fairy Tail was **her** guild. Rette didn't tolerate others messing with what was hers. Even if it was another member of Fairy Tail. So when Laxus had started goofing around with something of hers, breaking things and causing pain and chaos, she had confront him face-to-face. She had gotten the crap beaten out of her for her troubles, but it had all worked out in the end and she had, just recently, gotten her own, small form of payback against him.

Laxus now maintained a good six feet distance, at least, between their bodies whenever he happened to come across her while she was out on a job. A girl lands, once, on a very sensitive part of a guy's anatomy, hard, and suddenly she's deemed public enemy number one it that's guy's eyes.

Go figure.

Well, if you keep up the hard work you're doing now, then this time next year, the Master might decide you're S-class material and select you for the exam." Wakaba called to Rette.

"A lot can happen between now and next year, you know. I try not to think more than a day ahead, if I can." Rette told him.

"What if it does happen?" Laki asked.

"What if it does? If it does, it does. I have no real opinion about it, one way or the other." Rette replied.

Groans rose from several people. A few even banged their heads on tables. Rette was so difficult to get a straight answer out of sometimes. It was like she purposely did it just to make others feel like ripping their own hair out of their heads. Rette raised an eyebrow at the displays, though there was a tiny, amused tick to one corner of her mouth. Despite the amusement, she tilted her head to the side in questioning. What were they groaning about?

"Rette, do you ever get worked up over anything?" Bisca asked.

"Why? Getting worked up won't change anything. Getting excited and happy won't make it any more true and getting depressed and angry won't make anything any less true. What's the point?" Rette asked.

"Lucy and Natsu are right. You're really pessimistic, aren't you?" Warren asked.

Rette shrugged and turned back to her chores. A lot of people called her that. And truthfully...she could see why people thought that. She wasn't always the most positive, but she was always realistic and blunt honest with what she thought. If that made her pessimistic, then that was just something she would live with.

Her team didn't seem to have too much of a problem with her and that part of her nature.

"I prefer to think of it as being realistic and honest with what I think." Rette replied.

"Yeah...right." Max muttered.

"I heard that." Rette called, looking at him over her shoulder.

Max gave her a nervous smile and rubbed the back of his head. Rette knew they were just teasing her. She had been in Fairy Tail long enough to know they would never purposely upset her. They had been given proof, time and again, on why they shouldn't anger her. She had a really bad habit of baring her teeth whenever someone managed to anger her and it never ended well for the other person.

Rette got back to work, now and then checking the time. At one point during the afternoon, Rette paused in her work to shiver. Since she had first started to learn magic as a small child, she had had the heightened ability to sense the magic in the world around her. She could even track others with that ability. Normally, the magic in the air about the Fairy Tail guild was a mix of all of those who were currently there. She could sense something else, something... **larger** beneath the feet of the guild, far below the basement and she had a feeling that Makarov could tell her what it was, but she had never said anything.

She had a feeling that she shouldn't know about it.

The point was, that the air around the guild hall was usually just a twisting source of different types of magic. She could always tell who was and wasn't in the guild hall because of that. But today, at that moment, she felt like the magic in the air was, briefly, overwhelmed by something darker and more powerful than the mages gathered in the building. It made her chest, where her guild mark sat, ache. Rette paused, stopping to rub at the lavender colored emblem that decorated the space between her collar bones.

"You alright, Rette?" Bisca called from her table.

"Yeah. It's nothing...I hope." Rette replied, her eyes staring out a nearby window.

What had been that feeling?

What could have caused it?

Rette couldn't even begin to phantom that answer. It put her a little more on edge throughout the day, though. The time of day when Mira always called her, came and went. By the time night had fallen and Rette was cleaning up the guild hall so she could close everything down, she had grown worried that something happened. Something through the bond she shared with Thyme was making her spine tingle and had goosebumps rising on her skin.

Something just wasn't right.

Thyme, as an exceed with a rare power, had the ability to form tight and close bonds with others and through those bonds, communicate with the other person mentally. So far, in her life, the only person she had formed such a bond with, was Rette. Through that bond, the two of them could talk into each other's heads, could gauge the emotional state of the other, and even tell if the other was hurt or dead. Because of this, Rette knew Thyme was alive and well, but something about the feeling she was getting through the bond was making the small hairs on the back of Rette's neck, stand on end.

She felt like there was static fuzzing up the connection, making her feel light headed and groggy whenever she tried to feel for the connection with Thyme. It was strange, something she had never felt in the six years she had been with Thyme.

Rette had a hard time sleeping that night. She found herself spending most of the time wrapped in a blanket and sitting out on her balcony. Rette wasn't a big fan of the cold. It reminded her too much of her childhood where she had been raised in the cold and dark, underground passages of a place called The Compound. It also reminded her of the frozen lands where she had lived with her adoptive, dragon parents, Tundron and Chrysalis. But with the snow falling softly from the night sky, and the moon shining in the sky, she wasn't so bothered by it.

She must have dozed, at some point, sitting in that chair on the balcony, because one moment she was staring up at the moon in the sky, her eyes drifting close, only for her to wake up the next moment to the sun starting to rise on the horizon. She was stiff, after dozing in the chair out in the cold, but a warm shower fixed that. She dressed and headed for the guild hall, to get things up and running. The guild hall was quiet, with no one else around.

Rette wasn't use to seeing the guild hall like that, but she quickly got to work, knowing that soon it would be filled with the noise of others talking and enjoying their time with each other. The usual regulars were the first to show up, among which was Macao and Wakaba. Rette greeted them briefly before turning back to minding bar.

She had never understood how some people, like Cana, could start drinking first thing in the morning. Rette had tried a drink of alcohol before and been completely disgusted with it. Not all alcohol tasted the same, as she had found out, and a few tasted pretty decent, but Rette hated what alcohol did to her more.

Apparently, she was what Cana called an "emotional drunk".

Meaning...Rette spilled every little emotion when drunk.

She had to say "no thank you" to the whole thing. What went on in her own mind and heart, was best kept there. No one needed to know that heart felt, family stories made her cry or that Mira's and Lisanna's hugs actually made her ridiculously happy.

Steadily, the guild filled up with all the usual members coming in to just greet each other. Some went to look at the job board, bringing by the request they were taking. Before she had left, Mira had gone through the whole process with Rette on what she had to do when someone selected a job. It was pretty easy work, on it's own, though the paperwork, itself, was a chore to her. That being said, when she was trying to run the bar and do the paperwork too, it became a little more difficult. Multitasking had never really been her strong point.

Rette was in the middle of cleaning empty glasses off of table when the doors to the guild hall opened again. She turned to greet whoever it was and froze when she was confronted with Rahal, the head of the Magic Council's Fourth Custody Enforcement Unit. He had a few guards behind him as he stood in the doorway, looking around the guild hall. Silence fell over the guild as everyone turned to look at him. Rette, as the one in charge of the guild hall at the moment, stepped forward, a tray holding glasses, propped on her hip.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

Rahal looked at her. Obviously he recognized her and remembered that she had hit him over the head the last time they had met, for his expression wasn't pleasant. Then again, he looked like he was ready to swallow his own tongue as it was. Rette **really** had a bad feeling now.

"I need to speak to the one in charge here." Rahal said, looking like he would rather speak to anyone **but** her.

"You already are. Master Makarov and Mira, the one usually in charge of the guild hall, are gone right now. They've left me in charge. If you have something to say, I really would like for you to spit it out. I do have work to do." Rette replied.

The grimace on Rahal's face was undeniable. Whatever he had to say, he really didn't want to say it. Out of all the members of Fairy Tail currently in the guild hall, he apparently wanted to tell Rette least of all. Not that she could blame him if it was something bad. And where the council was concerned...it was always bad. His eyes were looking anywhere but at Rette and the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach was only increasing.

"Spit it out already. You're making me irritable." Rette told him.

Rahal's eyes finally locked on to her and she watched as he swallowed hard. Everyone had their eyes on Rette and Rahal by then.

"Well?" Rette asked.

The next words to come out of Rahal's mouth, made Rette's heart skip a beat, her blood running cold throughout her body. It made her feel like someone had just punched her in the gut or had just ripped a hole in her chest to pull her heart out and crush it.

"Tenrou Island...was eradicated. With your guild mates still on it." Rahal said.

The tray of empty glasses that Rette was carrying, fell to the floor, the glasses shattering. Rette stared at Rahal, her eyes wide. It took her a moment to force her lungs to drag air in. Horror spread through the guild hall, everyone staring at Rahal, but Rahal was looking at Rette. He took it that, out of all those present, she would be the one with the calmest head. She had seemed to be pretty calm when he had last met her.

"...You're lying." Rette said, her expression evening out, if with a lot of effort.

Her heart was now pounding a heavy, frantic beat in her chest, her whole chest aching with the effort to stay as calm and collective as she could. Panic wanted to well up, to force tears to her eyes, but she forced it back. She could still feel Thyme. Could still feel her very heartbeat through their bond, even if the bond was fuzzy for some reason. She knew Rahal had to be lying. He just had to be.

"I'm sorry, but I am not. I saw it with my own eyes. It's gone and so are your guild mat-"

Rahal cut off when Rette surged forward, grabbing him by his collar, dragging him down to her eye level. He gulped hard when he saw the utterly cold and unforgiving look in her eyes. Many of her guild mates called out for her to release Rahal but Rette didn't. Not even when his guards stepped forward to try to help him. Rette shot them a murderous look that had the men backing away again. Rahal assured them that he was fine.

At least...for the moment.

"If you're telling me the truth, which I doubt, then it had better not been because of another idiotically stupid decision on the behalf of the Magic Council. Because if it was...you and everyone else on that council had better prepare yourselves for my retribution will be beyond your wildest dreams." Rette promised, her voice dropping to down right icy.

And he had thought her the calmest!?

What in the world had he been thinking!?

"The Magic Council had nothing to do with it, I assure you!" he rushed to assure her, sensing that she would carry out her promise and she would start with him.

"Then you better explain to me what happened and you best be quick about it. Keeping a grasp on my temper, at the moment, is a bit of a chore." Rette demanded, releasing him.

Rahal explained to them what had happened, from the reason council members had been there to begin with, to the arrival of Grimorie Heart and it's defeat at the hands of the Fairy Tail members on the island, down to the appearance of the black dragon, Acnologia. At the mention of the dragon, Rette's breath hitched in her throat. It felt like someone had just gone from dumping ice into her veins to pouring lava into them.

A dragon!?

She had not seen a dragon since Tundron and Chrysalis had vanished. Not a single one. Natsu had searched for years and had never found another one after his dragon vanished as well.

"A dragon...There were three Dragon Slayers on that island! Not to mention our master and our strongest mages! You really expect me to believe they were all wiped out!? That easily!?" Rette demanded.

Her emotions were getting the better of her. She knew it. She would have been more rational if they weren't. She had read many stories, heard many legends about the black dragon, Acnologia. How even the dark mage, Zeref had had trouble with the dragon, how that very dragon alone could destroy an entire country on it's own. One island would have been no problem for it.

But...Rette also knew they were alive.

She could **feel** Thyme!

If Thyme was alive than so were the others! They just had to be. Rette refused to believe for a second that they were gone for good. To believe that...Rette was sure she would snap for good if she allowed herself, even for a second, to believe that they were gone. She **knew** they weren't. It was a faith she would never forsake.

No.

She wouldn't believe it.

Rahal, after he was done explaining it, watched Rette. He saw the change come over her. Where she had just had a cold look on her face, her fists curled tightly at her sides, her whole stance changed. Her expression leveled out, returning to it's indifferent look and her whole body relaxed. She took a deep breath and completely calmed herself. Where her guild mates behind her were in tears, horror on their faces, she was completely calm.

"You should leave now." she told Rahal.

"We can offer you our assistance if you wish to search for th-"

"No." Rette said, cutting Rahal off. "We'll do it ourselves. After all...it's our guild, our family."

Rahal could tell that she had made up her mind and her guild mates were apparently happy enough to agree with her where the Magic Council was concerned. He nodded and left, leaving Rette and her crying guild mates. Rette stared at the door way to the guild hall.

Gone?

Tenrou Island and those on it...were gone?

No.

Rette didn't care what anyone said, didn't care what happened. She knew they were alive. They had to be. She refused to lose anyone else. She didn't know what would happen, or if they would find anything, but they had to try looking, right? A family never gave up.

Nodding to herself, Rette turned to the others in the guild hall.

"That's enough, everyone. Whatever they said, we don't know none of them made it until we look. We can't give up before we start. So let's pull it together and go find our family." Rette told them.

It took a moment, but the others slowly agreed. They would search for their guild mates, would give it their all. Even when they didn't have anymore to give, they would just give it some more. Giving up was not an option.

If there was one thing she had learned since joining the guild...it was that Fairy Tail never gave up.

Even when others did.

END

Kyandi: I would have been a bawling mess.

Rette: And that is where we differ.

Kyandi: Yeah...you do all your crying in private.

Rette: I do not cry.

Kyandi: Sure you don't...if you couldn't tell, that was sarcasm.

Rette: I know what sarcasm is! Just move on already.

Kyandi: Oh, alright. Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: We shall return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	2. Embers of Faith, Dreams of Lightning

Kyandi: Hello, my fine feathered friends!

Rette: She's running out of ways to greet all of you.

Kyandi: Hey, there's only so many ways I greet people.

Rette: What do you mean? You know how to say hello in eight languages.

Kyandi: Yes, but aside from sounding different, **it's the same phrase**.

Rette: I see your point.

Kyandi: Anyway, everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 2 Embers of Faith, Dreams of Lightning

Hours, days...it seemed like Rette had been searching forever. She had used every tracking spell she possessed, had even learned new ones to use. Had searched endless parts of the sea, had foregone food and sleep, all in the hopes of finding her friends.

But she had found nothing.

Several others came out to help them look. Mostly it was members of Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale who came to help, but other guilds, whose masters were friends with Makarov, came to help as well. It gave them more searching eyes, but Rette focused on her own methods, doing whatever she could think of to find them. Even with the added help, they had yet to find a single thing. Even going to the general area that Tenrou Island had once been in, Rette couldn't sense anything. The magic levels were off the charts, making her dizzy.

She knew they were there...somewhere, but she just couldn't locate them. The seas around where the island had stood, were so flooded with high levels of magic that it made Rette's head spin. Not that it ever stopped spinning. Her motion sickness was constant these days and the increased amount of magic in the air around her, only made it worse. She had started to wonder if she would ever stop feeling sick. The sheer amount of magic in the air had her blood running cold and her stomach thrashing rather than flipping.

This was the aftermath of Acnologia's power?

She had seen, had felt, both Tundron and Chrysalis' power when the two had use their magic, had watched them destroy landscapes just to show her the power she would have to match to be able to slay dragons. But that was nothing compared to this. The sheer amount of magical power left behind made it next to impossible for Rette to search for her guild mates. She wore herself out trying again and again, refusing to give up for a moment.

Rette glued herself to the helm of their ship and kept trying while her guild mates and those who had come to help them, watched her as she worked tirelessly, sometimes preforming two tracking spells at the same time. It was hard not to see Rette's devotion to her guild mates in a time like that. She made it clear that she would go to hell and back for her guild mates.

"She'll drive herself to an early death if she keeps that up." Lyon remarked from where he stood, watching Rette.

He, Jura, Cherie, and a few of their guild mates had joined the Fairy Tail search team and a few Blue Pegasus helpers on the ship. While they took a break, they all watched Rette, who was refusing, for the fourth day in a row, to take a break for even a moment.

"That's Rette for you. She's surprisingly stubborn." Alzack remarked.

"Rette, you really should take a break. Come eat something or, better yet, take a small nap." Bisca called, for the tenth time that day.

"No thanks." was the only reply from Rette.

Every day it had been the same response. Rette refused to give up. They could tell it was wearing on her. She had bags under her eyes and she was barely remaining upright. She really would drive herself to an early death if she didn't stop soon. But none of them could get her to listen to them. Normally she only ever really listened to Erza, Mira, or Makarov. Occasionally Cana could get her to listen to her too. But none of them were there, so none of them could get her to listen.

It made those of her guild mates left realize how little they really knew Rette for she had only really opened up to a select few. None of those left, had the close bond to Rette that others, like Erza and Mira, or even her teammates, did.

Bisca looked at her guild mates before heading over to Rette to try to get her to take a break. Rette didn't even respond and Bisca had to retreat. Jura looked at Rette's guild mates as they watched Rette with concerned eyes. He knew he wasn't apart of their guild, but maybe she would listen to a former comrade who was older. Rette didn't even glance up at him when he stepped up beside her.

"Wearing yourself out like this will not help your friends." he told her simply.

Tiny fragments of crystallized light twisted around Rette, glittering in the sunlight, streaming out over the water in front and beside the ship. They shuddered as a whole at his comment and Rette's eyes flickered to him for a moment.

"I can't give up. Fairy Tail never gives up. I know they're out there...somewhere. I have faith that they are. I just need to keep looking." Rette replied.

"Faith can only go so far." Jura told her.

"No. Faith is like a fire that never burns to the embers. It will carry me through." Rette retorted.

Her tone was it's usual indifferent tone, but Jura could see the sheer determination in her eyes. She knew her friends were alive and she would be damned if she gave up until she found them. Jura turned his eyes to scan the waters around them. Rette had sat there for days, sitting cross legged on the figure head of the ship, searching. She would use her magic to search until her magic ran dry, and then she would search with her eyes until her magic restored itself.

But Jura had a feeling that there was more to it all for Rette than she let on.

"Rette...what are you feeling right now?" Jura asked, turning his eyes back to her face.

Rette, her eyes facing forward, blinked. Her brow creased as the only physical sign to her confusion. Jura had heard that Rette wasn't the most experienced, emotionally, with bonds and figured that she probably didn't understand what she was feeling, that she didn't understand what was driving her so fiercely.

"I don't know. All I know...is that I feel strongly. Everyone else can give up whenever they want, but I will **never** stop looking for them. I refuse to let anyone else vanish from my sight." Rette replied. "They're there. I know it."

"How do you know it?" Jura asked.

"I can feel it."

Jura stared at Rette in surprise as she placed a hand to her chest, as if she was trying to feel her heart pound as it hammered away in her chest. She didn't try to explain herself any further, just turned her focus back to her searching.

"Do you think they would want you to kill yourself looking for them?"

Rette whipped around to fix her eyes on Lyon, her eyes wide when the boy spoke. He gave her a sharp look, refusing to let her look away from him. Gray was his friend too. Given the amount of time Lyon had known Gray for and the amount of time Rette had known him, Lyon figured he had more of a right to be upset than Rette.

Well, do you?" Lyon demanded.

Rette's expression leveled out, but her shoulders sagged. She didn't have to answer. They could tell that she knew the answer was no. She just didn't want to admit it out loud. Her eyes dropped and she turned back around.

"I slept just yesterday." Rette replied.

"It's been four days since you last slept or ate, Rette." Max corrected.

Rette looked at him over her shoulder, her expression confused. Had it really been four days? She rubbed her temples as she tried to focus. Rette couldn't even remember. She had been too focused on her task to pay much attention to how many times the sun had set and rose again.

"And before that, you went six days." Max added.

"That you can't remember that, shows how tired you are. Please, take a break, Rette." Bisca asked.

Rette stared at them. Part of her brain could tell they were concerned about her, could hear the reason in their words, but the other part was screaming at her that she was wasting perfectly good energy by having this conversation. It was that latter part of her brain that won out. Rette turned back around, still refusing to be budged from her position, even though, now that food had been brought up, her stomach growled in complaint.

Her guild mates heaved sighs. At this rate they would basically have to pry her from her seat and force her to sleep and eat. It was clear she wasn't going to take care of herself at this point.

"I should have gone with them."

The low whisper drew all attention by to Rette. They weren't sure if she was talking to herself or to them. Her voice had been so low that they were sure she had been talking more to herself than to them.

"But then you would have been in the same position as them." Max tried to reason.

"But at least I would know where they are!" Rette said, slamming a fist onto her knee in a rare show of emotion. "At least I'd be with them and...and I wouldn't feel this way."

Rette's fist flexed, knuckles cracking as she tried to wade through her emotions and get herself under control. She couldn't even began to describe what she was feeling. Everything was too jumbled up for her to pick out what was what. Her chest felt tight, all the time, and when she had a moment to stop and think, a burning would set in and make it hard for her breath. Every time she thought about them being gone, about them leaving her behind, her throat would grow dry, feeling like it was about to close in on her, and her eyes would burn. It really did feel like she couldn't breath.

It hurt.

Rette hated this feeling.

But then...there was that small ray of hope, of faith, shining deep in her heart. She knew that as long as she could feel Thyme, then she had a chance of finding them all well and alive. She would cling to that one ray of hope with all her might and would never let go. Rette had a feeling that that would be the only thing to keep her head above the raging ramparts that was her emotions.

"But...then we would have lost you too. Do you know how that would make us feel? To lose you too?" Max demanded.

Rette stiffened for a moment. She hadn't thought about that. She had only thought about how she felt and hadn't stop to consider her words before she said them. They had to be hurting just as much as she was and she had just managed to make herself sound incredibly selfish.

"You're the one that snapped us back into shape and helped to get this search together. You're just as important to us as they are! To say that...would you have wanted us to shed tears for you too!?" Max snapped.

Rette's fists tightened, curling tighter as she chewed on her bottom lip. She hated when one of her guild mates cried. If it wasn't tears of joy, then tears had no place in the eyes of her precious guild mates. Though she wouldn't admit it, it would kill her to be the reason behind their tears.

"No. I'm sorry. I didn't think before I spoke. I'm sorry, really." Rette said lowly.

Rette leaned forward, her fist balled up on her knees, and took a deep breath. She had to calm herself. Letting her emotions go now, letting them get the better of her now, wouldn't do her or her friends any good. This whole thing, everything that was happening, everything her and her guild mates felt, was all the fault of that stupid dragon.

Acnologia.

Just the dragon's name had Rette's feelings swinging to the fiery burn of rage and fury and put a bad taste in her mouth. She had thought herself angry with Tundron and Chrysalis for leaving her, but that wasn't even a candle to the inferno that Acnologia had set ablaze in her chest. At least they had just left her, possibly with a reason. Acnologia had taken something that was becoming instantly more precious to her than the very breath she breathed.

She would never forgive the dragon.

"It's all that dragon's fault." Rette said.

"Yeah, we know." Warren remarked.

"If I ever see that dragon, if I ever get my hands on him..."

Her friends watched as Rette's whole body began to tremble with the effort it took for her to quell her emotions. Rette had always been able to easily hide her feelings, but when it came to anger...Rette had a hard time holding back the intense feelings of anger. Once her fuse was lit, it raged like a wild fire. Rette blamed it on all those years in her early childhood that she had spent angry with everything and everyone around her.

"My retribution will know no end. He will regret ever crossing Fairy Tail, for ever taking anything so dear to us. I will make him pay for the tears he has made my family shed." Rette said lowly, the promise in her voice making them all certain that she would do just that, or die trying.

It was at times like that that she managed to sound just like Natsu or Makarov. She had come a long way since she had joined the guild, was to the point where she would even claim the guild as her family. Unconsciously, but she still did. For someone like Rette, who tried to keep herself under lock and key, tried to keep herself at an emotional distance, that was a big improvement. It put wary smiles on her guild mates faces. They knew one thing at that very moment.

If anyone could carrying their hope through this troubled time, it was Rette.

-0-0-0-0-

Over the next few months, Rette saw a slow change in the people around her. The long hours, the long days spent searching for their lost guild members began to wear on her remaining guild mates. Positivity in the guild began to decrease and with it, so did their numbers. It was only a few people, here and there, that left, leaving the guild altogether but Rette had a feeling that if this kept up, more would leave. She knew that not everyone would leave. There was a small hand full that would always remain faithful to the guild, just as she would.

Around the three or four month mark, Rette finally confronted Bisca and Alzack on their relationship. Even an emotionally blind person like Rette could tell they both felt the same way about each other. So she approached each, individually, and encouraged them to confess to the other, assuring them both that the other felt the same way. When they finally confessed their feelings for each other, it was at the same time and in a rush of words that had both of them blushing to their ears.

Despite how emotionally torn she still felt about the disappearance of her friends, Rette still managed to feel happy for the two finally taking the step to starting their relationship together. Perhaps the happiness of their new relationship would bring a little happiness back to their guild. Both thanked her for her little nudge, but Rette waved it off. They deserved their happiness and she was only doing what any friend would do.

Something she had learned from her friends.

To ease the burden of concern on her guild mates, Rette started taking better care of herself and took over most of the work in the guild hall, but she still never stopped searching. Every ship that set sail to search, every search team her guild put together, found Rette among their numbers. Help in the searches, slowly tampered off. After so long, many gave up on ever finding anything. It hurt Rette's heart to see the others lose hope, even when hers remained strong.

Around six months, all searches were called off.

After half a year, everyone was sure they would never find anything.

Rette knew they were wrong.

She remained strong in her conviction that they were still alive and out there somewhere. Her guild mates were surprised with how strong her faith was. They had all been sure that Rette would have been the first to break down. But they took reassurance in Rette's strength as she took over as the pillar of support for the guild. As a tribute to her missing friends, to show how much she cared for them and missed them, Rette, after six months, took her long hair, which she valued as her only, precious link with her birth mother...and cut it off.

She cut it short, almost like that of a boys, leaving the bangs at chin length, and even switched the parting in her hair from parting to the left, to parting to the right. It changed her appearance, making her look older, more mature. While some would see it as a fashion change, her guild mates knew what it meant to Rette to cut her hair and they silently supported her. Especially when Rette vowed that she would never let her hair grow back out until their missing friends were back with them.

After a short time with no master, even if it turned out to only be temporary, they needed a new master.

Rette had suggested Macao.

When asked for her reasoning, she replied that Makarov had over seen the guild like a parent watching over his children. Macao, as a single father, would most closely resemble that and would be the best option for their guild, especially given the decrease in positivity and morale in the guild as of late. Not to mention that Macao was currently one of the older members of the guild and his experience would come in handy.

After hearing that, the other members of the guild agreed and Macao was named the temporary fourth master of the Fairy Tail guild. At that six month marker of the day that Tenrou Island vanished, the Magic Council insisted that he officially become the master. With no choice, Macao did as told. Rette, to help as much as she could, went back to working the bar in the guild hall whenever she was home. For the most part, all main jobs that had once been Mira's responsibility, now became Rette's.

Now and then, she would take jobs, or would simply disappear for a few days on end. Whenever she came back home, they could all smell the salt air on her clothes, making them all sure she had gone out searching once again. She never said anything and they never asked, but they all knew. It was easy to see the disappointment at another non-result baring search, in her eyes. They knew she would never truly give up, though.

After all...she was a fairy of Fairy Tail to the very core.

At the year anniversary of the Tenrou team's disappearance, Rette went to the homes of each person who had been on the island, lighting a candle as tribute. Though it was something most people did for a dead person, Rette did it as a guiding light for her lost friends, hoping they would see it and follow it home.

Shortly after that year marker, Bisca and Alzack announced their wedding. Rette was amused to hear that Bisca was the one that proposed and not Alzack. Bisca asked if Rette would help her as a bridesmaid. While Rette had absolutely no idea what to do as a bridesmaid and understood next to nothing about weddings or marriage, she agreed. After all...her biological parents hadn't been married and dragons had a completely different view on the matter as far as significant others went.

What this meant for Rette was that she went with Bisca as she picked out her dress, as they got the whole event sent up, and ended up wearing a bridesmaid dress of Bisca's choosing. While Rette wore skirts, she had never really worn a dress like this. The thing was floor length, off the shoulder, and had a silk ribbon, empire waist. Rette actually liked it and could see shortening it for everyday wear.

Wearing that dress and watching as a brightly beaming and slightly blushing Bisca and Alzack celebrated their vows, was where Rette found herself this day.

Those members of the guild who remained, had come to help the two celebrate their marriage, all cheering loudly. Rette preformed her part in the whole affair and than stood back and watched the others. It was nice to see everyone happy and thinking about something else for once. Watching them as they drank and cheered for the newly married couple, as they danced and simply enjoyed the night, Rette could almost imagine it just being another celebration in the guild where everyone partied the night away and ended up passed out all over the guild hall the next morning.

It reminded her so much of the old days that it made her heart ache.

"Hey, Rette."

Rette looked up as her name was called. Max stood in front of her, a grin on his face as he held out his hand to her. Rette stared at his hand for a moment, as if she didn't get his silent invitation. Max's grin grew.

"Come dance with me." he invited.

Rette heaved a sigh, but his grin was just too cheerful for her to ruin it by refusing. She took his hand and let him pull her out of her seat. When the others saw that she had actually accepted Max's invitation to dance, they started butting in, requesting she dance with them. Even Macao and Wakaba did. Rette couldn't help but feel a little lighter as they took turns knocking each other over to take over dancing with her. The antics had many others laughing as they watched.

It made Rette ache for a time when the guild was whole.

She had never thought herself capable of missing someone, much less many people, so much.

But here she was.

Rette liked knowing that she had someone she cared that much for, even if it did hurt. It was funny and ironic, considering she had dreaded the idea before. Ever since Tundron and Chrysalis had left her, she had hated the idea of becoming close to anyone else, had hated the idea of trusting anyone else with the broken remains of her heart. She had always thought that to lose another person in her life that she cared about, would completely shatter her.

But this...this was different.

Rette knew they weren't gone for good. She had a strong feeling that she would see them all again someday. Perhaps...perhaps that should have been the outlook she should've taken when Tundron and Chrysalis vanished. Like Natsu had when his dragon, Igneel, had vanished. She wouldn't have spent the last eight years of her life feeling so angry and torn if she had. She didn't know if her dragons had really cared, and quite frankly, in the wake of these new emotions and realizations, she found that she really didn't care. Not as much as she had before.

Everything was just kind of washing away.

With things as they were now, she had people depending on her, looking to her for answers, for support. She had never had anyone look to her for support before, had never had anyone rely on her so much, but that was exactly what her guild mates needed from her now. They needed her to be one of the pillars they had lost when the Tenrou team vanished. So there was no time to wallow in her feelings. Standing to the side, watching as everyone enjoyed the night before the reality of tomorrow crashed down on them, Rette made a vow.

No matter what, no matter how...she would do whatever it took to defend her guild. They would not suffer another loss like this one. If that meant using magic she had swore never to use again, if that meant finally accepting the fact that she was a Dragon Slayer, or if that meant spending the rest of her life striving to be the same kind of S-class mage that Erza, Mira, and Gildartz had been, then she would do it.

For them, and them alone.

The heavens help anyone who stepped in her way.

-0-0-0-0-

Headaches.

Massive migraines.

Rette had never thought she would be confronted with these things due to nothing more than just stress and long hours. Never in her life had she ever had an issue with such a thing. It seemed, lately, that was all she had. Beside a lot of work that is. She had a lot of that too. It caused her to rub at her temples in an effort to be rid of the pounding in her head.

"Rette?"

Rette didn't even bother glancing up from the paperwork spread across the desk she was currently sitting at in the office of the guild hall. She didn't need to, to know that the voice belonged to Macao. The man stepped up beside her, glancing down at the paperwork and then back at Rette.

"Yes?" she asked.

"You've been in here for hours. Why don't you go home for the night." Macao told her.

"I know, but this paper work has to be done. I never realized how much of it Mira and Master Makarov went through to keep the guild running." Rette remarked, heaving a sigh.

"I'm sorry. It seems all we do these days is drag you down." Macao said, picking up a stack of papers she had already finished with.

"It's fine." Rette told him, pulling another stack towards her to start.

"No, it's not. Perhaps you'd be better off leaving the guild too. I'm sure any guild would take you." Macao remarked.

"If you're trying to get rid of me, you'll have to try harder than that." Rette said idly as she shifted through the papers, looking for the one she needed. "Even if everyone else in the guild leaves, I never will. Just face it, you're stuck with me."

Macao was glad to hear it, really he was. It was nice to know that no matter what, Rette would have his back. In many ways, in the last year, she had become the supporting beam of the guild, baring the weight of the others upon her shoulders. It was actually funny to him to see her this way. She had always acted like any form of responsibility past caring for herself and Thyme would be beyond her. Yet, here she was, thriving in the position. If anything, he could swear that the responsibility was what kept Rette going, what kept her sane.

That being said, he didn't like seeing her work so hard at such a young age. She should have been out there, taking jobs with the others and thinking only about that. Instead, she was crammed into the guild's office, going through mountains of paperwork. Macao scanned the work still left to go through and stopped when something caught his eyes. He reached out, moving papers out of the way to pull out a book that had been half buried.

"Rette, what's this?" he asked, flipping the book open.

His eyes widened when he scanned the first page he came to. He turned to the next page and then the next, growing more concerned the more he looked through the book.

"Abysimal Magic...Rette, what are you trying to do!?" Macao asked. "This kind of magic is dangerous!"

Rette didn't even look up from what she was doing. Her hand was busy flying across the paper in front of her, filling out a report that had to be sent in to the Magic Council.

"It's just reading material. You know me. Even if I don't use the magic, I still like to learn about it. That just happened to be a book that caught my attention." Rette assured him.

Even before the disappearance of Natsu and the others, Rette had spent some of her free time learning about new magics, reading up on them and memorizing, at least, how to overcome them. Since the Tenrou team vanished, she had doubled those efforts. Whenever she wasn't working in the guild hall, wasn't doing paper work or going out on a job of her own, she had a book open in her hand. Every free second found her pouring over books.

But this?

Abysimal Magic was a lost magic that could be severely dangerous to more than just her opponent. It could be dangerous to her and those around her as well. After they had heard that Grimoire Heart, the dark guild that had attacked their guild mates on Tenrou Island, had had an elite group of mages who specialized in lost magic, Rette had made it a point to learn as many lost magics as she could.

"Besides...Tribulation magic is more dangerous." Rette replied.

"T-T-Tribulation magic! Rette you aren't-"

"No, I'm not trying to learn it. The only book on the subject that I could find did nothing more than describe it as a dangerous, though powerful magic that has not be successfully learned in hundreds of years." Rette assured him.

"The last known case of a person learning that magic was hundreds of years ago and it was a follower of Zeref. It's an evil magic, Rette." Macao told her.

"Yeah...I know."

Macao looked at Rette as she continued filling out something on the paper in front of her. Abysmial magic, Tribulation magic...it was forces that Rette shouldn't even be talking about. If Makarov was there, Macao was sure he would have given Rette the scolding of her life. It wasn't magic to be taken lightly in any regard.

"Where'd you even get a book like this!?" Macao asked her.

"I have a trader of rare, antique books that I get all of my study material from. That was just one of a set of ten books I recently bought from him. You should see my study at home. I really need to get to putting the books on the shelves before the stacks fall and bury me alive." Rette remarked.

He guessed that was Rette's attempt at making a joke, but it didn't really work. Mostly because he actually could see Rette getting buried alive by piles of books falling over on top of her. Partly because if she had other books with magic as dangerous as this at home...he feared she was doing more than just reading up on it.

"You know, though, try as I might, I can't find a single book on Heavenly Body magic." Rette remarked, dropping her chin into her hand.

"Why are you looking for that?" Macao asked.

Those left in the guild knew about the fight that Rette had faced against Jellal over a year ago when he had tried to come after Erza. They all knew he had used Heavenly Body magic. He had been a member of the Magic Council before that, so it was hard not to know what kind of magic he had used.

"After fighting Jellal back then, I've been intrigued and have wanted to learn, but I can't find a single other person who knows how to use it or a book covering it's use. I'm probably not looking in the right place." Rette told him.

"How many new magics have you learned in the last year?" Macao asked.

"One. A lot less than I want to." Rette replied.

"But you're the Nexus Mage. Just one goes a long way for you." Macao reasoned.

"Only if it's compatible with the other magic I already have. That's the thing about Heavenly Body magic, Macao. The general make-up and execution of the magic is compatible with both my Crystallization magic and my Light of Creation magic. The possibilities with that magic are vast." Rette told him.

"And **this**?" Macao asked, gesturing to the book in his hand.

"I told you, it's just reading material. Even if I wanted to learn to use Abysimal magic, I would have to be a lot stronger to do it. I just don't have the magic power, currently, to attempt it." Rette assured him.

At least she knew her limits. He still worried about her. Rette was relentless. If she wanted to learn a magic, then she went to great lengths to do so. Jellal was currently in jail, locked away, so it wasn't like she could have him teach her Heavenly Body magic, but he doubted that would stop Rette. She would find a way eventually.

"Here."

Macao was pulled from his thoughts as Rette suddenly held up a stack of papers to him. He sat the book down and took them from her.

"What are these?" he asked.

"You want me to go home, right? I can't do that until you sign these papers, **Master**." Rette told him, putting a little teasing twist on the title.

She moved out of her chair, letting him sit and leaned over his shoulder, pointing out what he needed to sign. Macao was sure he would have been lost with all of the paperwork if it hadn't been for Rette, who had already been learning how to handle it all from Mira. After about half a dozen stacks of paperwork, it was all done and Rette gratefully bundled it all together. Paperwork was always a chore for her.

"Now I can go home." she said.

Rette closed down the guild hall and said goodnight to Macao before heading home. Despite it being spring already, the night air still had a bit of a chill to it. Rette pulled her coat closer around her. Even in the summer, though, she was almost always cold these days. When she got home, she locked her door and headed straight for her room, stopping on the stairs to glance at the pictures lining the wall leading up to the second floor.

She found herself stopping to look at them every time she came home now. There was one of Natsu and Happy with Lucy. Another of her whole team, including Wendy and Carla, yet another of Juvia and Gajeel with Lily sitting on the table in front of them. Further along the line of pictures, there was one of Mira, Elfman, and Lisanna, another with the Thunder Legion, and a third with Cana teasing Lucy, Levy laughing in the back ground. They were all there in those pictures, every last one of those who had vanished on the island. At the very top of the stairs, there was a picture of the four exceeds in their guild, with Thyme standing in the middle, next to Lily, a bright smile on her face.

Rette missed Thyme more than words could ever hope to convey. Of course, she still felt Thyme as strongly as she had the day they had disappeared, but that didn't make up for not being able to see and talk to her. Rette had not realized how dear Thyme was to her, until she was gone. And wasn't that just the way of the world? A person didn't know how precious something was until it was gone. Rette touched the picture for a second before moving on to the second floor, heading for her room. When she opened her door, she was confronted with the sight of the coat hanging from a coat rack in the corner of her room.

The very coat, Laxus had given her.

Another pang in her heart, made Rette heave a sigh. She hadn't seen Laxus since before the Tenrou team had disappeared along with the island. It had been over a year without a single word from him. Rette had never told anyone, but after being kicked out of the guild, Laxus had had a habit of contacting her at least one a week. Somehow, someway. Whether that meant sending a letter, or using a communication lacrima depended on the area he was in.

She had claimed it was annoying, had scolded him every time he contacted her, but he had simply grinned and declared that he knew she wasn't annoyed. Rette had merely turned her nose up at him and acted angry, making him laugh at her. It had baffled her at first, but she had grown actually look forward to it. Though he didn't always contact her on the same day, he made sure to hear from at least once a week. But she hadn't heard anything from him in a over a year.

Rette had started to wonder if he had somehow managed to end up on Tenrou Island too. She had always dismissed the idea, finding it too depressing to entertain. She was sure he was just being an annoying jerk. Though, truthfully...part of her knew something was up. Laxus was a lot of things and he had done several things to her in the short time she had known him, from annoying her to beating the crap out of her, but he had never being needlessly cruel like this. And it was cruel considering the loss she had already gone through.

Rette pulled her eyes from the coat, telling herself that if she kept thinking like this then she would end up dreaming about him. She sat her book on a stack currently taking up a portion of her nightstand, shed her coat and shoes, and flopped onto the bed, face first. She was so tired. Who knew that mountains of paper work could wear a person out so much? And tomorrow would be just as long. Heaving a sigh, Rette let her eyes drift close. The last thing she saw before drifting off to dream land, was Laxus' coat.

That night, she dreamed the most annoying dream and it involved blond hair, a cocky grin, and flashing eyes.

END

Kyandi: I'm actually really enjoying this!

Rette: Good for you...I **hate** paperwork.

Kyandi: A lot of people hate paperwork. Get over it.

Rette: ...Don't wanna.

Kyandi: Oh yes, because sounding like a child is so going to help.

Rette: Leave me alone.

Kyandi: Alright, alright. Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: We shall return soon.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	3. Will Of The S-Class

Kyandi: Hello there again!

Rette: We have returned with the next chapter.

Kyandi: My muse seems to be clinging to my Nexus Mage stories.

Rette: With an iron grip.

Kyandi: OH! My muse has turned into Gajeel!

Rette: That is a disturbing image.

Kyandi: ...You're kind of right.

Gajeel: Hey! I heard that!

Kyandi: Epp! Sorry, my bad! We'll just move on. Everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail. Or a backbone apparently.

Kyandi: **HEY!**

Chapter 3 Will Of The S-Class

"Rette! Rette, wait up!"

Rette, walking down the street towards the market, came to a stop when she heard her name being shouted. She turned to face the person responsible. At first, through the crowd of people on the street, she couldn't see anyone that seemed to be talking to her. And then she saw the small form pushing it's way past people to head her way.

"Romeo? What are you doing?" Rette asked as the little boy came to a stop in front of her.

Recently, after learning to use the same fire magic as his father, the boy had joined Fairy Tail as an official guild member, his emblem marking his left, upper arm, near the shoulder. He had also started to dress in a similar way to the way Natsu had before the Tenrou incident, but Rette didn't bring that up. She didn't blame him. After all, Romeo had looked up at to Natsu. To him, it was probably like he was honoring his hero or something.

Rette had made changes herself. Of course, she had cut her hair off as a tribute to her lost friends, but that wasn't all. Her clothes were still barely there, but as she had started to train her Ice Dragon Slayer magic along with her Crystal Dragon Slayer magic, she had noticed that her body stayed cold. It was almost like the more she used her Ice Dragon Slayer magic, the more cold her body retained. Because of that, she was almost always cold and had taken to wearing the coat Laxus had given her after he had been kicked out of the guild.

Max had made the bad mistake of saying, only once, that if her hair had been blonde and her eyes the same color as Laxus', then she could pass as a female Laxus.

He had spent the rest of the day trapped in a block of crystal.

"Where are you going?" Romeo asked, getting straight to the point.

"A job in Hargeon, but I need to stop by the market first. Why?" Rette replied.

"Can I go with you?" Romeo asked, his expression one of determination.

Rette blinked in surprise. She had never really dealt with children. Wendy was the closest to a child she had ever really dealt with and Wendy had been twelve. Romeo was younger. Not to mention he had an over protective father that would probably give Rette the lecture of her life if anything happened to Romeo while he was with her.

"I don't know, Romeo. Is your father alright with it?" Rette asked.

"You know my dad." Romeo replied evasively.

"Yes, I do...and that's why I'm asking." Rette replied.

"Dad won't mind if it's with you, Rette. He's always saying your more protective than a guard dog."

Why did that make Rette feel like crawling under a rock? While she understood she was possessive and over protective in her own way, she wouldn't have picked a guard dog to compare herself to. And while she was sure Macao had meant it as a compliment, Rette felt insulted. She looked down at Romeo who was staring up at her with wide and determined eyes and heaved a sigh.

If she ever had children, she highly doubted she'd ever be able to tell them no.

"How about this...come to the market with me to get my supplies and then we'll stop by the guild hall to tell your father you're coming with me. Sound good?" Rette asked.

Since she had said "tell" instead of "ask", Romeo knew Rette wouldn't let Macao say no and knew he had come to the right person to ask to go on a job with. Despite how she acted, Rette was a real push over with children. He gave her fast nod, readily agreeing.

"But, you have to stay close to me, got it. I'm dealing with a band of thieves this time. If I tell you to duck, or tell you do something, you do it. Got it?" Rette asked.

"Got it!" Romeo replied.

Rette had to wonder if she would end up regretting this. The little boy stuck close to her side as she made her way to the market. They bought the supplies they would need and headed back to the guild hall. When they walked through the doors and Macao looked up at them, he seemed to know instantly what Romeo had done. Especially when he saw the bags of supplies in Rette's and Romeo's arms. Before Macao could get a word out of his mouth, Rette spoke up.

"Romeo's coming with me on a job."

Macao stared at her. She hadn't asked, she had told. Those who were in the building, turned to watch the whole thing. They knew that Macao was protective of his son, but Rette never backed down. For the two to butt heads over Romeo...it wouldn't turn out too well. But everyone knew, out of the two of them...Rette was more stubborn. Macao started listing off all of the reasons why Romeo wasn't ready to go on jobs.

"Macao."

When Rette said his name in a calm, if not somewhat put out, tone, he stopped his ranting and looked at her.

"Do you really think I would let anything happen to him? How in the world is he suppose to get any experience as a guild mage, if he never goes on a single job? You know me, Macao. I'm not about to let him get hurt in the least. Who in this guild is better for him to go on his first job with when you have to stay here in run the guild as it's master?" Rette asked.

Three very good questions. Macao knew Rette would never let anything happen to one of her guild mates. She would fight like hell to protect them and that same courtesy would be extended to Romeo as the youngest member of the guild. There was probably no safer person in the guild for Macao to trust his son to. He looked between Rette and his son and heaved a sigh. No matter the argument, he was sure Rette would be able to wave them all off.

She had gotten ridiculously good at arguing her case.

"When did you get so good at arguing your case?" Macao asked.

"About the same time that you started insisting that everyone call you Master." Rette retorted.

Touche.

"You better not get in Rette's way, Romeo." Macao warned his son.

"He'll be fine. After all...you have to look at who my previous team was." Rette said, laying a hand on Romeo's head. "He can't be anymore of a hand full then them."

She had a point there. Between Natsu and Happy, who acted like small children, Rette had had more distractions than she would with just Romeo tagging along. Rette promised to have Romeo back in no more than three days before the two of them headed out of the guild, stopping long enough for Romeo to collect a bag from his house. Rette, due to her motion sickness, used her Sun Wings spell to fly them to Hargeon. She would avoid trains or any kind of vehicle if she could. Since she had started training her Dragon Slayer magics more, she had noticed that her motion sickness had gotten worse.

It sucked!

It was faster to fly them, anyway, and they reached Hargeon pretty quickly. Walking through the streets of Hargeon, many people stopped to stare at them. Not that Rette really blamed them for staring. All they saw was Rette, a scantly dressed, guild mage, with a little seven or eight year old boy running at her heels. For all Rette knew, some of those staring probably thought Romeo was her son or something. It had to look odd, but Rette didn't pay it any attention and neither did Romeo for that matter. Now and then, Rette, who had the longer stride, would stop and turn, making sure Romeo was still right behind her. He had to run to keep up with her strides, but she never went too far before turning to let him catch up.

Rette was use to having to match the longer strides of Natsu, Gray, and Erza. To now have to worry about someone matching her strides...it was a new experience. At one point, she came to a stop at an intersection, her eyes scanning the buildings around her. Romeo came to a halt at her side, using the pause to catch his breath. Rette unconsciously reached out to lay a hand on his head, ruffling his hair.

"How about we find an inn first and then we'll worry about our job. Alright?" Rette asked.

"Alright." Romeo agreed.

The two found an inn and dropped off their bags before Rette led them to meet with their client. The client was a shipping merchant that was having trouble with a local band of thieves who were getting into his shipments before they could reach the port and stealing his goods to later sell as their own. Every one of the attacks happened when the ship was just within sight of the port, making Rette believe that whoever was responsible, was based in Hargeon. After getting the details from the merchant, Rette thought over a plan of attack.

There was another ship coming into port that night. She could take Romeo to meet up with the ship now, before it ever came within view of the port, but by the time the thieves attacked, she would be sick to her stomach from the swaying of the ship. Since she didn't know from where they would leave to attack the ship, she couldn't stay on land. She would have flown out and followed the ship at her own pace, but she had Romeo to think of too.

With a sigh, Rette knew what her course of action had to be.

With a letter from the merchant in hand and Romeo tight in her grip, Rette flew out to meet the ship. It took her two hours flying before the ship came into view. When she landed on the deck, several men jumped and yelled in surprise, much to Rette's amusement. She sat Romeo down while one of the men ran to get his captain.

The captain, a man they called Captain Stone, came towards Rette and Romeo, his steely eyes looking between the two while he stroked the large, silver beard growing from his chin.

"Can I help you, lass?" he asked, looking from her to Romeo at her side.

"Yes. I'm Rette Starrilia and this is Romeo. We're from the Fairy Tail guild. I'm answering Mr. Pettiscott's job request regarding the attacks on his shipments. I have a letter here from him." Rette said, holding out the letter in her hand.

Captain Stone took the note and read through it before looking at Rette again. It was pretty hard to miss the emblem for her guild on her chest, so it wasn't like he really could question if she was a guild mage like she said.

"And who's this, again?" Captain Stone said, looking down at Romeo.

"This is Romeo. He is a guild mate of mine and my partner for this job." Rette replied.

The men around them laughed at that. Apparently the thought of a young girl and a little boy being able to fight off thieves that a whole crew couldn't fight off, was laughable to them. Romeo grit his teeth, but Rette simply laid a hand on his head, idly patting it. When he looked up at her, he found her expression still calm and clear, despite her face having drained of color due to her feeling sick to her stomach.

"A little girl and a kid!? Fight off thieves!?" one man called.

"It's laughable." another added.

"I assure you, both Romeo and I are completely capable, despite our ages. We will not let these thieves get away." Rette promised.

Captain Stone stared at her, meeting her eyes. Rette met his gaze square on. He must have seen that she spoke the truth, for he nodded and welcomed them aboard the ship. The men scattered to return to their task, while Rette and Romeo retreated to the upper deck to talk over a plan. Out of the direct attention of the men, Rette hung her head, groaning as her stomach did flips.

"You really get motion sickness? Just like Natsu did?" Romeo asked, looking at her.

"Not as bad as him, but yeah. I swear, it has to be a Dragon Slayer thing." Rette replied before shrugging it off as much as she could. "Alright, let's talk about a plan."

She had Romeo's full attention then.

"You mean I get to help?" he asked.

"Of course you do. No point in you being here if you don't get to learn by doing. Besides, being a part of a team or even just half of a partnership, means you have to pull your own weight on a job." Rette told him.

The two talked out a plan. When they came within view of the port, Rette, using her Satan Crystallite spell, would fly into the air to hide among the mast. She would have used her Sun Wings, and therefore save on magical energy, but it would be growing dark by the time they came in sight of the port. Her Sun Wings gave off light and therefore would draw attention to her. This way, no attention would be brought to her until she wanted it to be.

Romeo, on the other hand, would hide among the crew, pretending to be a deck hand until he could pin point which of the thieves was the leader. He would then mark the man with his purple flames, signalling for Rette to make her move. The two, together, would then be able to round up the thieves and turn them over the proper authorities once they reached port.

It was just a matter of Rette keeping her stomach under control until then.

Until they could enact the plan, Rette and Romeo hung out on the upper deck out of the way of the crew, Rette leaning back against the rail, her head hanging over the rail and her short hair blowing in the breeze. She had crossed her legs and had her eyes closed. Romeo sat next to her, watching the water.

"Hey, Rette." Romeo called after a while.

"Hmm?" Rette hummed in questioning.

"Do you still look for them?"

Rette didn't have to ask what he meant. She already knew. A year had passed but none of them had come close to forgetting about those who had vanished on Tenrou Island. There wasn't a single day that went by in which Rette didn't think about them. The pictures lining the stair well, decorating the mantle of her fireplace, and covering her nightstands, were a reminder too great to miss. Not to mention that Rette couldn't help but think of, and miss, Thyme, every time she walked into her own house.

"Yeah...I do. Every chance I get." Rette replied.

Romeo turned to look at her. Her eyes were still closed and her arms were crossed over her stomach, one hand pressed into her stomach as if she was trying to keep from barfing.

"You really think they're still out there?" Romeo asked. "It's been a year."

"It could be ten or twenty years, Romeo. Or even a hundred years. I don't care. I know what I feel and I have faith that it would take a lot more than an over grown sized gecko to erase those people from this world. A whole lot more." Rette told him.

"Weren't you raised by "over grown sized geckos"?" Romeo questioned.

"That's beside the point, Romeo. My point is that you have to have faith because if there's one thing I've learned in the time I've been in our guild, it's that, in Fairy Tail, we never give up." Rette told him. "Even when it seems hopeless and especially not if it involves our family."

Romeo looked at her as Rette let her head fall back against the rail. For only being nineteen, she had a tendency to sound a little like Makarov at times. Romeo turned to look out over the water, the setting sun turning the water red and orange. Lights appearing on the horizon was their cue to set their plan in motion.

"Rette, I can see the lights of the port." Romeo said.

Rette groaned as she got to her feet. She dusted off the barely there shorts she was wearing as well as her coat, and stretched.

"Alright, Romeo. Let's get this over with, shall we?" Rette said.

Romeo left her to join the crew below. A few minutes after taking his post, he thought he saw something dark darting up among the mast, but with the sun having finished it's descent, he couldn't be sure if it was Rette or his imagination. The port came more and more into view, but all Romeo could hear was the sound of the crew members talking and the sound of water breaking over the front of the ship. Romeo was moving a crate when there was a whistling noise. He looked up as something came flying onto the deck. There was a clatter of something hard on the boards and then a flash of blinding light.

Romeo covered his eyes but couldn't stop from going temporarily blind. He did, however, hear the several pairs of feet that hit the deck running. By the time his eyes had cleared, he was being crowded into a corner along with the other boys that worked as deck hands. He now understood why Rette had had him cover his guild mark. He wouldn't have been able to hide it while blind without drawing more attention to it and they couldn't afford for the thieves to know there were guild mages on board. Romeo stayed knelling next to the other boys, watching the thieves.

The men were hard to miss. Each of them had something really noticeable about their appearance. Rather that was weirdly dyed hair or a strange tattoo or something else. They easily subdued the crew, though truthfully, Rette had requested that the crew pretend to put up a fight and then go quietly. If they were out of the way then it would make things easier and quicker for her and Romeo. Romeo had to force himself not to look up towards the masts. He couldn't give Rette away by drawing attention to her hiding place.

"Is this all of them?"

One man stepped forward and Romeo wrinkled his nose in disgust. The man had spiky purple hair, gauge holes the size of a fist in each earlobe, and a bull ring hanging from his nose. His skin, hair, and clothes looked like they hadn't been washed in weeks and there was an oily shine to his hair. He looked about as sleezy and slimy as a slug.

No, that was too offensive...to the slug.

One of the thieves replied back that all of the crew had been gathered and even called him "boss". It was obvious that this was their leader. Now Romeo just had to mark him so Rette knew who he was. He had a feeling it would get him attacked but he knew Rette wouldn't let any of them hurt him. He inched closer to the man and just when Romeo was in range, one of the men spotted him, calling to his boss to watch out. The man turned on Romeo as the boy's purple flames lashed out at him.

"He's a mage!" one man yelled.

The boss grabbed Romeo by the back of his collar and heaved him up off his feet. Romeo struggled to get down, kicking his feet and swinging his arms.

"Ya trying to pull some kind of funny business, kid? I outta wring your little neck. Better yet, how about I tie weights to ya and throw ya overboard?" the man asked, the sneer on his face making Romeo believe he would do just that.

Suddenly there was a thud next to the man as something dropped from above. The man turned towards it, a confused and angry "What the-" leaving his lips before a clawed hand grabbed him by the face. Scales traveled from mid forearm, over the wrist and over the hand until it turned into crystal claws that dug into the sides of the man's face.

Romeo twisted and was shocked when he got his first real look at Rette. He had heard about her Satan Crystallite form, but it was so much different seeing it in person.

Much like Mira when she had used her Satan Soul, Rette's appearance had change, clothes and all. Her clothes had been changed for a red-purple, strapless body suit. The legs of which were shorts so short they barely covered the curve of her butt. The neck line plunged straight down to her belly button, baring the inside curve of her breasts. The top of the neck line was held close by a single buckle, a single, red-purple crystal hanging from the buckle, right between her breast. The ribbon choker with it's charm still sat around her neck, red-purple crystal earrings hung from her ears, and decorative, black ribbons twisted up her arms to tie into big bows at her biceps.

Scales climbed up the sides of her face from her neck, where they curled down to skim along her collar bones. More scales crawled down her arms and over her thighs. They led down over her calves to her ankles, where they turned into clawed, three toed feet. The scales on her wrists faded into claws hands. Red-purple crystals covered her skin, slashing over her cheeks like claw marks, sleeking her hair back from her face, making it spike away from the back of her head, and forming a crown about her head from which sprouted curled horns so sharp looking, they could put iron spikes to shame. The crystals covered her feet and hands, adding sharpness to already sharp claws, curled in over her stomach like clawed fingers, and formed spikes along her shoulders.

A long, whip-like tail had sprouted from the base of her spin, crystals forming spikes along it, the appendage currently lashing back in forth, the end curling slightly. Black, bat-like wings sprouted from the bottom of her shoulder blades, stretching out behind her before folding into her back. It looked like some of her veins had turned black on various, almost random parts of her body adding a sinister look to her, and her incisors and the first few teeth behind them, had sharped into fangs. Her lips had been painted the same red-purple as the crystals all over her body and her eyes were even more vivid in their color thanks to the deep black circles that had formed around her eyes.

At the moment, the look on her face was down right murderous.

"You're going to what, now?" Rette asked, her voice now having a second, dark voice layered over her usual one. "I think it's in your best interest to sit him down gently and to do so now."

When the man didn't instantly comply with her request, her grip on his face tightened, the claws digging into his skin until blood welled up. The man freaked out, trying to speak past her hand, to pull free of her, but Rette didn't budge. Finally, he dropped Romeo in favor of latching on to Rette's wrist. Rette turned her eyes to Romeo, her expression relaxing and softening.

"Are you alright, Romeo?" she asked.

"Y-yeah." Romeo replied.

"Good. Now, onto business." Rette turned to the man she still had in her grip. "You and your men are going to come with me, and without a fight. My partner, here, and I are going to hand you over to Ruin Knights. Give me any trouble and this could end very painfully for you."

As if to accent her point, Rette's effortless picked the man up off his feet, showing that she had more than enough power to carry out the threat. Her head tilted to the side when the man started whimpering in pain.

"Do I make myself clear?" Rette asked.

The man started trying to talk again, waving one hand at her. Rette raised an eyebrow, but the man gave some kind of singal and a few of his guys jumped Rette.

"Romeo, a little assistance, if you will." Rette called, unconcerned.

Romeo's purple flames lashed out at two guys coming at Rette's left, while Rette's long tail whipped out, sending the other three men coming from her right, crashing to the deck. Another lash of the tail took out another two coming from her rear. Rette's wings spread and lifted her and her captive into the air. The man really began to struggle. Apparently he wasn't a fan of heights. Rette looked into his eyes, her expression appearing bored.

"Call them off before I really hurt someone. You lost this battle the moment the job request came to Fairy Tail." Rette told the man.

The man whimpered in fear and waved a hand, calling off his men. Rette gave a satisfied nod before she turned her eyes to Captain Stone.

"If you could be so kind as to have some of your men tie them up, Captain, I would be very grateful." Rette called.

"Aye, lass. Anything you say." Captain Stone told her.

Rette bowed her head in thanks before dropping the man she had in her grip. He hit the deck and two of Captain Stone's men tied him up while several others tied up the other men. Rette made sure they got all of the men, even found the guard they had left on the little boat they had used to approach the ship and added him to the others. When that was done, she dropped to land next to Romeo and released her spell, returning to her normal form. The moment her feet touched the deck, she swayed slightly, but buckled down on herself.

"You alright?" Romeo asked her.

"Just peachy. I'll be glad when we're back in port." Rette replied.

Captain Stone walked up then, clapping a hand down on Rette's back, nearly toppling her. Rette caught herself and turned to look at Captain Stone as he pat her shoulder.

"You two did good, for mere kids. I gotta say, lass...you gave me and my men quite the scare there. I almost thought a demon had landed on my deck." Captain Stone told her, roaring in laughter at his own foolishness.

Rette winced for a second, but smoothed out the expression before anyone could question her. The whole "demon" part had hit a little too close. Though really...it kind of had been a demon. After all, she had to Take Over demons in order to use their forms. So it wasn't like it wasn't the truth.

But she wasn't going to tell the captain that.

Captain Stone ruffled Romeo's hair, thanking him as well, before heading back to his work. Romeo looked up at her as she groaned lowly under her breath after the captain was gone. Rette wasn't Natsu, but she reminded Romeo of him sometimes. Especially with the motion sickness and her willingness to do anything for her guild mates. Even full fill a silly request like taking a child on a job.

"Thanks Rette."

Rette didn't even look down at Romeo as she swayed slightly on her feet. She looked like she was about to fall over at any second.

"What are you thanking me for?" Rette asked.

"For helping me." Romeo told her.

Rette looked down at him then. It surprised Romeo when a barely there smile curled her lips ever so slightly. Her hand came down lightly on his head.

"I'll always help you, Romeo. You are, after all, apart of Fairy Tail, a part of my family. I may not have understood it when I first joined, but I think I've come to understand what it means to be a part of a guild. If nothing else, Fairy Tail is **my** guild. I protect what's mine. You included." Rette told him.

"You sound a little like Natsu...and Erza." Romeo told her.

"Yeah...well, it can't be helped." Rette replied, scratching at one cheek. "I did end up spending a lot of time listening to them."

The trip to port was short, which Rette was grateful for. Ruin Knights were waiting on the dock when they finally got tied down and the ramp to the dock was lowered. Rette and Romeo handed over the thieves, and collected their reward from their client. To Romeo's surprise, Rette split the whole sum in half, giving him one half. He hadn't expected her to do it since he had basically begged her to let him come with her.

"Start saving now and you'll never regret it. Just don't tell your father." Rette had told him, giving him a wink.

Romeo had to admit, while she wasn't Natsu, Rette was pretty great in her own way. She didn't react much and he had never seen her outright smile, but, deep down inside, at her very core...she was still a fairy of Fairy Tail.

-0-0-0-0-

"You're what?"

Rette stared at the couple before her, blinking out of shock. Standing before her, smiles on their faces as they tried not to laugh at Rette, was Bisca and Alzack. The two had come to the guild hall to share their news and had decided that since Rette was the one that had pushed them into finally sharing their feelings with each other, that they should tell her first, straight to her face.

"I'm pregnant." Bisca repeated.

Rette's reaction only got funnier, as the young woman's eyes went to Bisca's stomach. Rette pointed silently at Bisca stomach as if she was asking "There!?". When Bisca nodded, Rette's eyes widened in the first look of awkward terror they had ever seen on her face. Rette had no idea how to handle small children. She hadn't grown up around any. In fact, she had been almost twelve before she ever saw another child and in the time since then, she had had limited interaction with them. Romeo, the youngest child she knew at the moment, was alright.

For a kid.

But an infant!?

She knew, literally, nothing about infants. She didn't know how to care for one, she didn't understand the process of one being born, nothing. No one had ever explained to her where babies came from or how to take care of one. All she knew was that a woman carried one in her stomach. As to how the baby got there in the first place...Rette was grateful for not having an answer. Thinking that she would never have children of her own, because she never stuck around anywhere long enough to settle down or build relationships, Rette had never bothered even picking up a book about it. Out of all the books she had read, child birth and child rearing, wasn't one of them.

Because of this lack of knowledge, Rette ended up saying the first thing that came into her head.

"What, did you eat a kid!?"

Laughter broke out around the guild hall, making Rette's face feel hot. When Rette didn't say anything and they saw the slight blush starting to stain her cheeks, her guild mates stopped laughing, realizing that Rette was being honest.

"Wait...you seriously don't know about that stuff?" Max asked from a few tables away.

Rette's face went the darkest red they had ever seen and she turned her face away from them, trying to hide it behind her hair. Which was difficult given how short her hair was now.

"I didn't have parents growing up, you know! And dragons don't have to have such conversations with their young. It's all by instinct with them." Rette retorted.

With that, she returned to the bar and refused to look at anyone else. The others thought it was kind of cute how embarrassed she had gotten and now innocent she was in that area of life. Rette ended up enduring teasing the rest of the day. She did her best to just ignore it, turning her attention to her work.

Lately, they had lost so many guild members that the incoming cash flow for the guild was starting to dwindle. Rette, who was still widely known and popular, was still getting personal request for jobs, so it wasn't like the guild was completely broke...yet, but it certainly made things difficult for the guild. Especially since, just in the last few months, a new guild had formed in Magnolia; Twilight Ogre.

The new guild soon rose to being the number one in Magnolia, pushing Fairy Tail out of it's spot as Magnolia's pride and joy. When Fairy Tail started to have issue with meeting bill payments, Macao, against Rette's better judgment, took a loan from Twilight Ogre. Even after taking the loan, they ended up having to leave their beloved guild hall in favor of a building they could actually afford.

Which put them in this dump.

Rette was sure the building on the edge of town that they came to inhabit had once been a barn. When they had first moved into the building, Rette, with the help of a few other members, had done a serious over haul on the building. Even then, it still looked like crap. Rette did her best, along with Laki and Kinana, to keep the place clean and at least inhabitable. With Laki's Wood Make magic, it made repairs cheap, but every time they turned around, they were having to repair or replace something. Especially once Twilight Ogre started coming around to collect monthly payments on the loan.

If they didn't have the money to make the payment right at that moment, whatever members came to collect would then began to smash furniture and wreck their guild hall. Rette would have put them in their place the very first time, but Macao insisted that they couldn't do that, despite the fact that Rette was sure Makarov would have crushed the bastards, himself. As one of the main faces remaining in the Fairy Tail guild, Macao insisted that she couldn't just go beat the crap out of people they owed money too.

Rette had called bull on the whole thing, but had done as told.

Today found Rette going over what work she had to do that week. She had two jobs lined up that she had to complete. The combined total from the two jobs would effectively cover the next payment they had to make to Twilight Ogre. Rette was really starting to be glad that she had worked two jobs all this time and had been saving constantly. Now she could give all the money she made from half of her jobs to the guild and still manage to make a decent living for herself.

"Hey, Rette."

Rette lift her head from the paper in front of her as Macao and Wakaba slid into chair across the bar from her. Both had seemed to have aged considerably in the last year or so. Rette knew it was from the stress of their situation.

"Do you need something?" Rette asked.

"I need to ask a favor of you." Macao told her.

"Anything."

Rette was always quick to offer her help where she could these days, which was why they had come to her. Well...one of the reasons why. Macao was sure she wasn't going to be happy with what he needed from her, or with the reason why.

"Rette...I need you to go through an S-class exam."

Rette stared at Macao, blinking as if she was trying to absorb what he had just said. Macao knew she would react this way. Rette had made it no secret how little she had cared for the title of S-class in the past. She just didn't see the point to it all, which was why she had stayed behind when the Tenrou team had gone to Tenrou Island for the S-class exam. To now ask her to go through an S-class exam herself...Rette was probably mentally calling him nine kinds of stupid.

"Come again?" Rette asked.

"Think about it, Rette. We don't have any S-class mages." Wakaba told her.

"And?" Rette asked.

"We need money, Rette, and right now, you're the only popular one left in the guild. If you were S-class, which you have the potential to be, you could take higher paying jobs. That could really help out the guild." Macao told her.

Rette's eyes narrowed slightly. He could tell she was debating. She had already told herself that if this was what it would take to help her guild, then she would do it. She had just never expected that it would actually come to it. But Macao and Wakaba had a point. The moment Rette thought that, she knew they had won the argument. They knew they had won when Rette groaned and dropped her head onto the bar.

"The things I do for this guild..."

The low mutter was about as close to an agreement as they were going to get. Of course, as part of their guild's rules and traditions, Rette had to go through an exam to be S-class. They were sure Rette could handle anything they could come up with. For Rette's exam, they recruited a little help. A few days later, Jura and Lyon from Lamia Scale, made an appearance at the guild. Rette's exam was simple, if not difficult. She, Jura, and Lyon would be transported into the mountains just beyond Magnolia. There, Rette would be tasked with an exam to test her strength, her defenses, and her ability to think on her feet with two, strong opponents hunting her down.

Lyon, Rette would have no problem with. They had supplied her with an never ending source of strength with Lyon. Thanks to her Ice Dragon Slayer magic, Lyon would be a source of power for her. Not to mention that running away was a skill she had honed over the years since she had escaped the underground hell that her birth father had been in control of.

Jura, on the other hand, was different. When it came to him...Rette was sure she was screwed. Not only was the man strong and could twist and contort the ground under her very feet, he was one of the Ten Wizard Saints. No matter her training, at this point in time, he had to be stronger than her. Just avoiding attacks from him would be difficult. Since her exam was to last the whole day with the two tracking and attacking her...it was going to put her to the test alright.

Thankfully, she was given a five minute head start. With her Sun Wings spell, she had instantly shot off like a rocket. The more distance between her and Jura and Lyon, the more time she would have to prepare, set traps, and over all increase her probability to succeed. She managed to put a good distance between her and them in those five minutes and instantly made use of one of her Nexus spells called Shower, which allowed her to track their movements via their magical energy by raining nearly invisible shards of crystallized light on the area around her.

The two, according to their magic energies, had split up. They were coming in her direction from either side of her. They would reach her at the same time if they didn't encounter one of her crystal traps. If she had had more then five minutes for a head start, she might have laid an enchantment or at least more traps. Before his disappearance with the others, Freed had started to teach her how to write, and over write, enchantments. She had continued the education after he had vanished, leading up to the one new magic she had learned in the last year, but she still wasn't as good as Freed had been. It still took her a good deal of time to lay enchantments.

With that option off the table, Rette ran through other battle options. On his current path, Jura would hit a trap soon enough. Though, given his power and strength, he would crash right through it without much effort. Lyon was carefully picking his way around, as if he was sure there were traps. As such, it looked like he would reach her without encountering a single trap. While Rette was good with traps and sneak attacks, she knew it wouldn't be enough with these two, but just flat out, full frontal confrontation would be foolish.

There was the Nexus spell she had been working on, but that was far from being usable at the moment. She would just have to use what was at her disposal now and keep moving. There was always the new trick with her Crystallization magic that she had learned. That would help her greatly. With that in mind Rette set up her battlefield, raising large, life-size crystals from the ground. Then she used a spell she called Crystal Mimicry.

Jura and Lyon would never seen the effects of this spell coming.

Jura, dusting crystal dust off his clothes, met up with Lyon at the bottom of a large rock formation that had a cave opening about twenty feet above eye level. Crystals as tall as Jura, sprouted from the ground all around them. It was obvious that Rette was somewhere around there. It was like she wasn't even bothering to hide where she had been. Which led them to believe it was a trap. Jura and Lyon scanned the area, trying to locate the girl, putting their back to one of the large crystals to guard their backs.

They didn't see Rette coming.

The attack hit them both, hard, from behind. Jura and Lyon whipped around as they slid away from the attack. Both of their eyes widened when they saw Rette. Almost as if she was emerging from a pool of water, Rette had half emerged from the crystal they had had their back to. As they watched, she sank back into the crystal until she fully finished. Now aware of that, they kept their eyes on the crystal, only for Lyon to take another hit from the side as Rette appeared out of a completely different crystal. She popped free of the crystal, jumped over Lyon, who was laying on his side, and dived for another crystal, instantly sinking into it.

Now they understood. Rette was using the crystals like a way to transport from place to place. When she had learned that trick, they didn't know, but it could prove to make things harder. With all the crystals around them, Rette could appear, disappear, and reappear anywhere she wanted. Timing her attacks would be difficult. A flash of movement out of the corner of his eyes, had Jura turning as Rette flew out of a crystal. He countered her attack and realized too late, that she wasn't blocking attacks. The attack hit her head on...and shattered her into tiny shards of crystal.

What. The. Hell!?

"Gotcha!"

Lyon was knocked forward, face planting the ground as Rette landed on his back. Jura twisted just as she opened her mouth. Her Crystal Dragon's Roar hit him full force, sending him flying back. Rette yelped, jumping back from Lyon when spikes of ice sprouted from his back. Lyon got to his feet and turned to Rette, but she was already casting her next spell.

"Crystal Mimicry!"

Lyon's jaw dropped as crystal copies of Rette separated from the large crystals around him. They shifted, their coloring changing along with their shape, until he could not tell them apart from Rette. He suddenly found himself surrounded by seven Rettes. One attacked him from behind and he shattered it with an attack only to be attacked from two other sides. He soon lost the real Rette among her five remaining copies. Lyon also soon found out why Max had laughed when he had seen that he was going to be one of the two testing Rette.

Rette managed to catch one of the birds he had crafted out of ice, shattering it before eating the ice. He had known she was a Dragon Slayer, had heard about it from some of her guild mates, but he had forgotten that she was an **Ice** Dragon Slayer as well as a Crystal Dragon Slayer. Her next attack sent him flying into a pitfall trap Rette had set up. Rette instantly sealed the entrance with bars made of a crystal so strong that Lyon couldn't shatter it with one hit.

Now, where had Jura gone off to?

Rette turned, scanning her surroundings. After she had attacked him with her Roar, she had lost track of him. She could still feel him, but her senses were telling her that he was right on top of her, yet she couldn't see him. Then it hit her. Jura, a mage who used the very earth under her feet in his magic, was nowhere to be seen but she could feel his magic right there next to her. That meant one thing.

Rette figured it out too late, her eyes flying to the ground right under her feet. Jura's hand broke free of the ground, grabbing her ankle and pulling her down into the ground. The earth welled up around her, trapping her from the neck down. Jura appeared out of the ground in front of her as she fought to get free.

"You've improved, Rette." he praised her.

"Obviously not enough. I fell for an old trick and even when I could sense your magic right there, too." Rette retorted.

Jura smiled at her. He was glad to see she had returned to herself and was doing better when compared to how she had been right after her friends had vanished. She really had gotten stronger and more clever with her planning. Apparently it just hadn't been enough to stand up to him.

"I guess this means your test is over." Jura said.

"Not quite. I still have a lot of tricks up my sleeve. Especially since I haven't been here from the very start." Rette replied.

Jura's smile fell when the Rette he had been talking to, shattered into thousand of pieces of crystal. He had seen this Rette cast spells, though. How could she possibly have been a copy!? Jura dived to the side seconds before something crashed into the ground where he had just been. He had just barely felt Rette coming. When he looked at her, he knew things were about to become more difficult. Rette stood before him in all her Satan Crystallite glory, crystal claws gleaming in the sunlight.

Yeah, it was about to get difficult.

-0-0-0-0-

"How do you think she did?"

Macao and Wakaba looked up as Max paced back and forth. Outside, the sun was setting and they were expecting Rette, Jura, and Lyon back any moment now. Everyone had gathered in the guild hall, waiting to see how Rette had fared. Max had taken to pacing to keep himself busy. Rette passing would mean a lot for the whole guild because of the increase of jobs and reward money she would bring in.

"I'm sure she did fine." Macao replied.

Gods did he hope he was right. He wasn't completely concerned, though. It was Rette after all. If there was one thing Rette excelled at, it was managing to escape others.

"I think I see them." Jet called from where he stood at the doors to the guild hall.

The others rushed to the doors to greet the three approaching figures. Jet was right, and it turned out to be Rette and her two examiners. Jura walked along side Rette, who was currently half supporting Lyon. All three were beat up and looked tired. Rette's short hair was even sticking up in places and there was dirt smeared all over her.

"Wow...the three of you look awful." Max remarked.

"Thank you so much for the compliment, Max. Women must love you." Rette retorted.

Max rubbed the back of his head, looking anywhere but at Rette. Rette helped Lyon into a chair before turning and dropping into her own chair. Heaving a sigh, she half draped herself over the table, dropping her forehead down on the table.

"So how did it go?" Macao asked.

"Ask them." Rette said, raising a hand to point in the general direction of Jura and Lyon, though she didn't raise her head.

Macao turned to Jura and Lyon, raising an eyebrow at the two as they chuckled to themselves. Jura crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well, she's definitely improved and gotten stronger in the last year. As for whether she is S-class material or not..."

Jura trailed off as he glanced at Rette. He turned his eyes to Lyon, the two meeting the others eyes before Jura continued.

"She certainly gave us a run for our money. She passed." Jura told them.

Cheers went up from Rette's guild mates, all of them congratulating her. Rette didn't even lift her head, just waved it all off.

"I'm so tired right now, that it doesn't even matter. I just want to go home, soak in my bathtub for a while and then crash in bed." Rette said.

Laughter rang out from her friends. Though she had always had an issue with the whole rank thing, she was glad that her succeeding in becoming S-class would help her guild. After word got out that she was officially S-class ranked, job request for the world's only Nexus Mage, would pick up. Rette would be able to give the guild more money, while still making a living.

Jura and Lyon were invited to stay and join the members of Fairy Tail in celebrating Rette's success, but the two declined, insisting they need to return to their own guild. Rette saw them off, apologizing for all the low blows she had pulled against them, before returning to her guild mates. Just like before the disappearances of the Tenrou team, the members of the guild drank and celebrated the night away. It wasn't as rowdy as it use to be, but Rette was happy for even a tame display of joy from her guild mates.

She ended up, at five in the morning, walking around the guild to drape blankets over the others. Jet and Droy were in a pile in the corner, both snoring, Macao and Wakaba had fallen asleep at a table, Warren was sprawled out across a table top, and Max, like always, had somehow ended up with his pants around his ankles and passed out on the floor with his butt in the air. Rette had to turn her face away as she threw a blanket over him. Wasn't he getting too old for that kind of silliness?

Rette made sure to carefully tuck a blanket around Bisca and Laki who were asleep leaning against each other. Alzack was asleep on the opposite side of a table from them. Once everyone was covered, Rette looked around the guild hall at them all from the seat she had claimed at the bar with a glass of wine in hand. She didn't like how she acted when drunk, but she had found that a drink here and there helped relax her without the effects of drinking too much at once. She still couldn't handle a lot of alcohol, though. How Cana had gotten to the point where she could drink just about anyone under the table, was beyond Rette.

Rette glanced around the guild hall. In the last year, she had begun to see what it must have been like to be Makarov or Mira. She felt more and more like a big sister or a parent as the days passed. She especially felt that way whenever Romeo insisted on tagging along with her on jobs. Being the one to walk around the guild after a celebration, especially one in **her** honor, and look after people, solidified the feeling in her. And when she was already so tired. She could have fallen asleep there in her seat.

She would have too, if it wasn't for the fact that she was in a horrible need of a shower. Rette finished her glass of wine, checked on everyone else once more, and then headed home. The streets of Magnolia were quiet as she walked through them. She had liked it so much better when she had lived just a flight of stairs away from the guild hall. Now she had to walk clear across the town. Not that she really minded on clear, quiet mornings like this. The sun was just peeking over the horizon when she made it to her house.

Ditching her clothes in a basket Thyme had set in the front hall a long time ago, Rette headed up the stairs to her bathroom, naked. After realizing that Rette had a bad habit of stripping naked in the front hall upon coming home from jobs or anything that got her soaked and/or dirty, Thyme had insisted on putting a dirty clothes basket in the front hall. It was at times like this, when Rette threw the clothes inside the basket, that Rette was reminded of Thyme and felt a painful pang in her chest.

Rette heaved a sigh as she started her shower. The sigh was replaced with a groan of relief the moment she stepped under the hot spray of water. She felt the muscles in her body relax as she washed herself. She let her mind wander as she bathed.

S-class...she was S-class now.

If he had been there, Natsu would have been so jealous. Gray too for that matter. The thought put a small smile on her face as she rinsed shampoo from her hair. Rette, though, felt a mix of different emotions despite her initial dislike of the idea of ranks. There was worry on rather she was really good enough to stand with some of the S-class mages out there, there was a little pride in getting Jura's seal of approval, and some excitement for the future missions she would be able to now take. It made her wonder if Erza and Mira had felt the same way when they had become S-class.

Though Rette would never admit she felt any of that.

By the time she finished her shower and had dressed, she was dead on her feet and fell face first onto her bed. Laki and Kinana, whenever they and the others woke up, could take care of the guild hall for the day. Rette was going to spend it sleeping. Things as she knew it would only get busier now.

Best to rest up while she could.

END

Kyandi: Rette's like me when she's tired.

Rette: You strip naked in your front hall too?

Kyandi: Of course not! I don't live alone, you know!

Rette: Oh...that matters?

Kyandi: Apparently, to you it doesn't.

Rette: Depends on who's looking.

Kyandi: Of course it does. Everyone please enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll be back shortly.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	4. Favors and Forgiveness

Kyandi: I have returned!

Rette: And her annoying habits have grown.

Kyandi: Oh, you're just cranky because of the surprise I left for you.

Rette: A monster mask dropping down from the ceiling the moment you step out of a shower is not a pleasant surprise!

Kyandi: It is for me~! Watching you fall on your naked butt is funny!

Rette: Just you wait. Halloween is just around the corner and you have siblings who love to scare the crap out of you.

Kyandi: If I don't get them first!

Rette: Uh-huh. Let's get on with this. You have two chapters for this story that you want to get up.

Kyandi: Right! I might start doubling up chapters for this story, since my muse is doing so well. So everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 4 Favors and Forgiveness

The next couple of months passed with Rette taking S-class jobs and watching things change even more in her guild. Their numbers, as far as guild members went, had finally dropped into the low double digits and it soon became clear that Rette really was the strongest member in the guild now. The others, in an attempt to keep up with her, trained hard. As a way to show that they were still a guild, and a close one at that, Rette proposed they hold training days. One day out of the week in which all members of the guild trained together. Bisca, of course, had to sit them out.

As the months passed, Bisca's stomach grew. Alzack, whenever he looked at Bisca with her swollen stomach, couldn't keep from smiling. Everyone in the guild was cheered by the idea of soon having a baby to fawn over. Rette didn't know how to take it, having no experience with babies. There were many times the others found her staring at Bisca's stomach with one side of her mouth twisted up and her head tilted to the side.

The others in the guild thought it was adorable. Especially the first time Bisca grabbed Rette's hand and pressed it to her stomach, letting Rette feel the baby kick. Rette's eyes had gone wide like those of a deer caught in head lights, in a mix of shock, fascination, and concern.

Rette had then pressed one side of her face to Bisca's stomach, to see if she could hear anything and had exclaimed in excitement that she could hear the baby's heartbeat. The idea of a life growing in Bisca's stomach seemed to completely fascinate Rette.

And then the baby kicked her in the cheek.

The others laughed as Rette went back behind the bar, almost sulking to herself. Rette declared, after that, that the baby had to hate her and ended up in a sulking mood the rest of the day.

Rette went on several S-class jobs, sometimes taking Max and Alzack with her. The two made good back up and it gave them money to go home with since after giving half to the guild, she split the remaining money with them. Most of the time, around the first of the month, Rette would come back from a job to find members of Twilight Ogre tormenting the guild in search of their money. In those cases, Rette's money went straight into their hands just to get them to leave the others alone. Macao got on to her several times for it, claiming she wouldn't be able to feed herself or pay her own bills if she kept doing it.

Rette ignored him every time.

The guild came first and foremost. If she ran out of her savings and happened to be unable to pay her bills and became unable to live in her house, then she would just stay in the guild hall until she could make the money. It didn't really bother her in the least. Not that she really thought that would actually happen. She had been really good with saving her money up to that point, so her savings would last her for a great deal of time. Rette was more worried about the guild and other things.

One of those things was Bisca.

As her due date came closer and closer, Rette dragged Alzack out on more and more jobs with her. When asked why, she insisted that with a baby on the way and Bisca out of duty until the baby was at least a year old, Alzack was going to need all the money he could save. Seeing her point, Alzack didn't complain. His only remark was that Rette was awfully considerate.

Rette insisted he keep that opinion to himself.

Soon, before she even knew it, the two year marker for the Tenrou team's disappearance came. She didn't have much time to dwell on it as, shortly after, Bisca's and Alzack's daughter, Asuka, was born. Macao had Rette close down the guild hall and they all went to see the new addition to their family. The moment Rette walked into the room, Bisca called her over and Alzack sat the tiny baby in her arms. Rette nearly freaked out the moment the baby was cradled in her arms.

How in the world did she do this?

How did a person even hold a baby?

Was she suppose to hold it a special way?

Did babies even know what way they wanted to be held?

 **What the hell was she suppose to do!?**

Rette raised her eyes to Bisca and Alzack, her eyes wide in panic. Her eyes only grew wider when Asuka opened her little mouth and let out the biggest wail Rette had every heard. Rette's freaked-out-o-scale kicked up to a whopping twelve and she looked at Asuka's parents, silently pleading with them to help her.

"What did I do? What **do** I do!?" Rette asked.

Laughter sounded from those in the room, but Rette didn't find it funny. All she wanted was for the baby to stop crying. Almost as if by instinct, she shifted her grip on the baby, cradling her head in the crook of her arm, and started lightly rocking the baby, hoping that it might calm the wailing infant. Rette heaved a relieved sigh when, thankfully, Asuka quieted. The others couldn't help but laugh at her.

"Tell me, Rette, how is that you aren't scared of bandits, monsters, demons, rouge mages, or anything like that, yet you balk in the face of an infant?" Max asked.

Rette turned to look at him. At first glance, her expression was it's usual indifferent one, but after a little over two years with Rette, they could tell her mood by looking into her eyes and right now...they were cold. It was almost as if she was daring him to repeat what he had just said. Even with a baby in her arms, the look sent Max scrambling out of the room. Rette turned her eyes back to the baby in her arms. Curiously, she raised one hand, poking the baby's cheek with a single finger. Her eyebrow twitched when the baby latched onto the finger.

She stared at the tiny hand wrapped around her finger. So small, so soft. Looking at the baby, she wondered if her mother, her birth mother, ever got to hold her like that. Seeing the baby, so very tiny compared to her, just made Rette realize that soon, she would be approaching her twentieth birthday. The realization that time passed all too quickly if she didn't pay attention, made her stare at the baby in her arms.

"You look like a natural, Rette."

Rette raised her head, her eyes going to Bisca who was smiling at her. Her eyebrow furrowed at the comment. Rette shook her head before looking back down at the baby.

"Natural? No. I'd be too petrified to be a mother. Remember, I didn't have a mother figure growing up and my father figure was...poor. I just remember, whenever I would have nightmares, Chrysalis would tuck me into the crook of her front leg, and would rock me while humming some tune to me. I sometimes catch myself waking up humming the same tune." Rette replied.

Without thinking, Rette starting humming a low and soft tune as she continued to gently rock Asuka. The others smiled as they watched her and Asuka's mouth spread open in a yawn.

"To me, it sounds like you did have a mother figure." Bisca remarked.

Rette tilted her head to the side as she let that sink in. In the last two years, she had been able to let go of a lot of things and one of the things she had found fading, was her hurt and anger with Chrysalis and Tundron. It was now, that she had started to let those things go, that she had started realizing that Chrysalis and Tundron had been more like parents to her than she had realized.

"I suppose you're right." Rette said.

Rette watched in amazement as Asuka drifted off to sleep, after sticking Rette's finger that she had captured in her tiny hand, in her mouth. If it hadn't been for the wailing the baby was doing just moments ago, Rette might have been inclined to think of Asuka as a little angel. That being said...

"Don't expect me to babysit. I'd rather face all the monsters of the world."

-0-0-0-0-

About a month after Asuka's birth, Rette finally slowed down enough to realize...tomorrow was her twentith birthday. It didn't shock Rette to realize that day had rolled around once again without her realizing it. When she had been in the Compound under her father's tyranny, the day of her birth had been celebrated with an extra long torture session with her father. To him, it hadn't been a day to celebrate, so he had gone out of his way to make sure she found no happiness in the day. After leaving the Compound, Rette hadn't bothered with celebrating either. The day had almost always passed without her even realizing it.

Rette had only noticed what day it was because she had paperwork that need to be sent in by the end of the day. With the paperwork, and not her birthday, in mind, Rette headed for the guild hall that morning. She was shifting through the papers she had taken home to finish, when she pushed open the door.

"I'm sorry I'm la-"

"Happy birthday!"

Rette jolted as the sudden yell cut her off and the papers went flying into the air. She stared at the room in front of her as papers rained down around her. Laughter rang out from those gathered, streamers hanging from the ceiling as different colored orbs floated around the guild hall. A large cake sat in the middle of a table and a few other tables were covered in trays of food. One table played home to a pile of gifts wrapped with big bows and brightly colored wrapping paper. Everyone present was wearing a smile and a goofy little party hats.

As the last of her papers drifted to the floor, Rette blinked in shocked. What. The hell. Was going on?

"Who knew we could scare the usually indifferent Rette." Wakaba called with a loud laugh.

"Anyone having something yelled at them suddenly upon entering a room, is going to jump in surprise. There's a difference between surprised and scared." Rette retorted, crouching down to gather her papers.

Warren and Max helped her, handing the papers to her as they collected them. Rette checked to make sure they were all together and stood up once more before turning to look around the guild hall.

"What's going on?" Rette asked.

"It's your birthday, right?" Laki asked.

"How'd you know that?" Rette asked.

"We had heard Lucy, Mira, Erza, and Lisanna planning for your birthday before...you know." Warren answered.

"We missed last year. After everything you've done for us and for the guild, we weren't going to miss it again this year." Alzack added.

"After all...you only turn twenty once!" Macao said with a cheer.

Rette looked around at them all, throughly surprised. She had never had anyone who thought her birthday was worth celebrating. She had never even told anyone when her birthday was before Lucy and the only reason she had told Lucy was because Lucy and few others in the guild had been comparing the time of year when they were born. Rette, being born at the end of winter, beginning of spring, had chimed in that she was born in a cold, wet, and muddy time of year.

She hadn't expected that by telling Lucy her birthday, that it would end up with a party being thrown in her honor. She was so surprised, that she was shocked speechless and just stood there, staring at them all.

"Are you going to say something?" Max asked.

"I think we managed to shock her speechless." Jet said with a laugh.

Rette opened her mouth and closed it, several times, trying to think of something to say. Finally she swallowed and cleared her throat before she spoke.

"You guys didn't have to do this." she told them.

"Of course we did!" Droy replied.

"Not only have you help support us and keep the guild running, you're family. You really should let us do something for you for once." Macao told her.

Rette glanced around at everyone. A warm feeling filled her chest, heating it with a pleasant feeling she had rarely ever felt in her life. It was a rare feeling for her and one that made her take a deep breath, her heart fluttering. It made her wonder how she ever made it through life without the members of the Fairy Tail guild. If she had had any tears left to cry, Rette was sure she would have shed them then. Instead, a small smile curved her lips.

"All of you are so silly...what would I do without you?" she asked.

Several of the others gave her hugs, chattering filling the guild hall. After hugs were dealt out, Rette was ushered to a table and told to sit down. As his gift to her, Macao told her she wasn't allowed to work today. It was a little strange, after so long of being the one on the serving end of things, to become the served, but she didn't complain. It was nice just to get to sit down in the guild and enjoy her time. The cake was set before her and twenty candles were lit. She was told to make a wish and blow out the candles. She didn't really get it, having never gone through any kind of birthday traditions before, but her wish was the same wish it had been the last two years: for her guild to be whole again.

Laki cut the cake, handing out slices to everyone. Rette was given an extra large piece with a big dab of cake icing in the center. Rette wasn't the huge fan of cake that Erza was, but she did love cake icing. The first thing she did was swipe the dab of icing off the top of the cake with a finger and stick it in her mouth. Those at her table snickered at the sight. Rette, though, focused her eyes on the silly hats they were wearing.

"Are those some kind of birthday thing?" Rette asked, pointing to the one on Jet's head.

"Yeah, they're birthday hats. Haven't you ever had them at your birthday parties before?" Jet asked.

"I've never celebrated my birthday before."

Shocked eyes turned to her. She didn't see what there was to be shocked about. They all knew that her life with her birth father had been abuse after abuse and that she had basically been raised by dragons, who didn't have the same traditions as humans. After that, the only person she had continuously had around her until she came to Fairy Tail, was Thyme. Rette usually forgot about her own birthday, so she had never said anything to Thyme either. Knowing that, she didn't see why they were so surprised. It wasn't like she minded. It was kind of hard to miss something she never knew.

"Never again, Rette! We're going to celebrate your birthday every year!" Laki said, getting up to hug Rette's head to her chest.

"No need to go overboard." Rette insisted, her expression blank.

Rette endured a few more minutes of Laki's coddling before she was released and they insisted on moving on to the presents. Most of the gifts were little trinkets that Rette could wear everyday or sit on display in her house. Some were books to be added to her massive collection. Laki and Kinana's gift was that, while Rette was out running errands that morning, they had slipped into her house and straightened out her library. When she got home, she would find all of her book neatly put away. Something she had been meaning to do for months now.

Reedus' gift was a sketch book full of hand drawings of all of her guild mates, both present and missing. It was small enough that she could carry it in one of her pouches on her belt wherever she went. Max's gift was a new sword since Rette was continuing to train and improve with her swordplay. With it's crystal bejeweled handle, it caught Rette's eyes. She instantly added it to her belt. Bisca and Alzack's gift was a charm bracelet that currently only had one charm: the Fairy Tail emblem.

"We can add one every year." Bisca told her.

Rette liked it, but not as much as she liked the gift that was signed by everyone in the guild. When she opened the box, she found a locket baring the Fairy Tail emblem on the front and on the back was a four pointed star from which grew fairy and dragon wings. It was Rette's own personal mark. When she opened it, it displayed a magic hologram picture of their whole guild before Natsu and the others vanished. It even had Laxus in the background with Freed, Bixlow, and Evergreen, and Thyme in the front with Lily, Happy, and Carla.

Rette stared at the picture, her eyes growing wide. For a moment, staring was all she could do. Then she snapped the locket close and instantly hung it around her neck, one hand wrapping around the locket once it was in place.

"Thanks, you guys. I love all of the gifts. More than I could ever tell you." Rette told them.

Soft smiles shined back at her as she looked at them all. Rette didn't know what she had ever done in her life to deserve the breath-taking, wonderful gift that was her guild, but she wasn't about to let it go. It had been given to her and she was going to latch on and never release it. She knew then what that warm, heart breaking feeling in her chest was...she loved her guild. More than life itself. They had become the one thing she lived for.

She could try for the rest of her life to do whatever she could to be worthy of the gift that they were to her life, but she doubted she would ever deserve them. Life, which had started out cruel to her, had blessed her life in unimaginable ways since then. Her guild was there when she fell, to pick her back up and they were there supporting her when she stood at the helm.

She didn't know what she had done to deserve them, but she thanked the gods for them.

Screw those gods if they tried to take them away.

-0-0-0-0-

"Droy, you really should slow down on the eating."

Droy huffed, muttering to himself as Rette sat a tray of food on the table in front of him and Jet. He instantly snagged the plate of meat off the tray and started eating. Rette shook her head as she tucked her tray under one arm. Over the last two years, Droy had become one of the world's biggest fans of food. Because of it, he had gain quite a bit of weight. It was a little ironic considering Reedus, who had once been big enough to be his own canvas, was now slim.

Granted, Reedus did tell them that his previous size had been from a magic spell Makarov had cast on him.

"I keep telling him that, but he doesn't listen." Jet told her.

"There is nothing wrong with my weight. I'm as fit as I've ever been." Droy insisted.

"And I'm a talking donkey." Rette retorted, picking up their empty plates before walking away.

A couple of others around Droy, roared in laughter at Rette's snappy comeback. Rette carried the plates back behind the bar. Droy sulked as he munched away on his food.

"Perhaps at our next training day, I should up your exercise. You're simply taking in too many calories." Rette remarked from the bar.

Droy's sulky expression only grew worse. Rette could already be a tyrant on their training days, as it was. She insisted that everyone needed to be prepared for anything, so she did her best to train them all. Rette, herself, was already ahead of them all.

"Thanks, but no thanks." Droy told her.

"I thought you weren't going to be here for a while. Something about a request from Jura?" Max remarked.

Rette heaved a sigh. A few days ago, Jura had shown up at the guild hall with some news and a request for Rette. When she had locked them in the office of the guild hall for some privacy, he had told her that Jellal, with the help of two outside helpers, had broken free of the prison where he had been held. Jura had given her the description of the two women that had helped Jellal, but Rette didn't know them. Since Rette was familiar with Jellal's magic energy and was a great tracker with a heightened sense for locating magic energies, Jura had been asked by Rahal of the Magic Council to ask for her help.

Apparently Rahal wasn't man enough to come face Rette himself.

Not that she blamed him. The last time they had seen each other, two years ago, she had threaten him within an inch of his life. Though she was surprised he had thought to ask for her help considering when they had captured Jellal, she had fought, along side Natsu and her friends, for his freedom. She had agreed, simply because she wanted to talk to Jellal anyway. When Jura showed up, she would be leaving. Until then, she was working.

"I'm waiting for Jura to show up." Rette replied.

"Someone say my name?"

Rette looked towards the door as Jura pushed open the door. The man was almost tall enough that he would need to duck to get in through their doorway. What Rette found funny was that while he was starting to grow a splendidly long beard...his head was still balder than a baby's. She wasn't sure if it was by choice or not, but she just couldn't picture Jura with hair on his head.

"Hey, Jura. You have great timing." Rette said as she rounded the bar.

"So it would seem. Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yeah. Laki, Kinana, you two are in charge of the guild hall while I'm gone." Rette called to the two.

Laki and Kinana gave her smiles and a wave. A few of the others wished her luck as she followed Jura out of the guild hall. Though they were from two different guilds, Rette had been known, since becoming S-class, to collaborate with other S-class mages from other guilds. Jura just happened to be the one she worked with the most. They got along and actually worked well together, which was probably why Rahal had asked Jura to speak to her about lending a hand in the search for Jellal.

"You're guild mates seem to be doing better." Jura remarked.

"Better, but not great. There are still a lot of issues and its not like they can simply move past losing key members of their friends and family." Rette replied.

"And you?" Jura asked.

"I manage."

Which was Rette Talk for "I don't want to talk about it.". Jura had been around Rette long enough to know when she was avoiding telling the truth without flat out lying to him.

"How's things with Lamia Scale?" Rette asked.

And that was Rette Talk for "Can we change the subject?". As good as she was with evasion tactics in battle, she was not good with them in conversation. She was far too obvious. But Jura let it go, simply because Rette was horribly stubborn when she didn't want to do something. She would completely zip her mouth or head back if he pushed a subject.

"Good. All is normal." he told her.

"Good to hear." Rette said with a nod.

"May I ask you a question?" Jura asked.

"I suppose. What is it?"

"While I was there when we fought with his unit to protect Jellal, I know you have done something past that to Rahal. What exactly was it?" Jura asked.

Rette looked up at him. Of course, he had fought beside her and her friends, on behalf of Jellal, as well, but he hadn't been there when Rahal had come to her old guild hall to inform her and her guild mates about what had happened on Tenrou Island. Rette highly doubted Rahal would tell anyone what she had done or how much she had scared him. A tiny smirk curled one corner of her mouth.

"Are you sure you want to know, Jura?" she asked.

"As fearful as your current tone makes me, yes." he replied.

"Well, when he came to my guild two years ago to tell us what had happened on Tenrou Island, I lost my temper. You know me, Jura...I have a hell of a temper." Rette told him.

Jura did know. Rette didn't normally let her emotions get the best of her, but she had a little of a hard time containing her anger. If someone made her lose her temper, their best option was to run away and fast. He had never seen her when she had completely lost herself to her anger, but he had heard that, in times like that, it was like a dark, evil presence, took over Rette, adding a dark twist to her magic. Her temper was not something to mess with.

Sometimes, Rette was well aware that her temper was a weak point, but at other times, she almost seemed proud of her ability to scare the living daylights out of people. Though that didn't take her losing her temper. She could scare some people without getting angry.

"I see, so that was why he came to me to ask for your assistance." Jura remarked.

"The man has never been on my good side, Jura. I don't tolerate those who annoy me, very well." Rette told him.

"You tolerate Laxus."

Rette's eyes snapped to his grinning face. She had made it no secret that upon first meeting Laxus, he annoyed her to no end. The man's overly obnoxious, cocky grin and poor attitude had been a mix that had just made it difficult for her to be around him. He reminded her of a misbehaving child when she had first met him. Granted, after he had been kicked out of the guild, he had changed, but he still annoyed her now and then. It just wasn't as bad as it had been. Rette turned her eyes back to facing the path before them.

"Laxus is a different case. Eventually, that man will find his way back into the guild and then I'll have to tolerate him. Why not work on it while he's out of it?" Rette replied.

Oh, yes, because that was **completely** the reason why she tolerated him.

"Have you heard from him lately?" Jura asked.

"Why would I? There's no reason for him to talk to me." Rette replied.

Jura would take that as a no. Even though she was trying to play it off, he knew it worried her that she hadn't heard a single about or from Laxus. She just wouldn't admit it because she knew that, somehow, some way, it would get back to Laxus. She would rather die than have him find out that she was worried about him.

"If you say so." Jura told her.

Rette looked up at him, her expression blank. She wasn't sure she liked the smile on his face. What did he know that he wasn't saying? She never did get a straight answer from him during their trip to the prison where Jellal had escaped from. They met Rahal outside the building. Behind him stood Doranbolt, the man who had passed himself off as Mest, a member of Fairy Tail, so that he could spy on them. The moment they neared, Rahal's and Doranbolt's eyes instantly snapped to Rette, staying there as she neared them. Even as they greeted them, their eyes never left her.

Rette was inwardly dying of laughter. The two feared her reaction to them so much that they were unwilling to turn their eyes from her for even a second. She found it so funny that she had to shift to keep from blurting out her laughter.

"It is...uh, good, to see you again, Rette Starrilia." Rahal greeted her.

"Are you sure? You both look like you would rather be anywhere but facing me at the moment. Like you'd rather be chewing on glass." Rette remarked.

"Don't be ridiculous. Your sense of humor knows no bounds, it seems." Rahal replied.

"I'm afraid I don't have much of a sense of humor these days. The past two years have been rather poor for my sense of humor. I wonder why that is."

Rette couldn't help it. She just had to watch the two squirm. They made it too easy for her. Rahal rolled his shoulders, shifting on his spot, while Doranbolt's eyes dropped to the ground, refusing to move from it. Jura cleared his throat and gave her a stern look. Alright, she had had her fun. Now it was time to give them a break and get on with business.

"You two can relax. Any ill feelings I may have had two years ago have simply washed away now. I doubt there's anything you could have done to stop that dragon. Besides...they're still out there. Somewhere." Rette told them.

The two looked at her in surprise. Jura, proud that Rette could let go of at least one grudge in her life, laid a hand on her head and pat it. Rette took the patting even though she wasn't a big fan of it. When she was sure enough was enough, she waved his hand off.

"So enough of that. You needed something from me?" Rette asked.

"I am sure you have been informed of Jellal Fernandes' escape." Rahal said.

"I have. He had two helpers?" Rette asked.

"Yes. We know that one is a former Council member by the name Ultear. Were you able to identify the other from the description provided?" Rahal asked.

"I'm sorry to say that I don't know either of them." Rette told him.

Rahal heaved a sigh. He had hoped that Rette would be able to supply an identity for the second woman, but that didn't matter. Knowing them or not knowing wouldn't keep her from helping them in the search.

"Well, that is sad to hear, but it shall be alright. Your tracking skills are suppose to be among the best. I would like you to act as a tracker for a squad of my men. Your tracking ability is our last resort. If you, and the other search parties we are about to send out, can't find him, we will have to call off all attempts for now." Rahal told her.

"I suppose you aren't willing to take a no for an answer, are you?" Rette asked.

"No, I am not."

Rette heaved a sigh. She ran a hand through her short hair before crossing her arms loosely over her stomach. To them, she appeared put out and that was all apart of the plan. She didn't want for them to figure out that she was actually looking forward to this.

"I guess I don't have much of a choice. I'll give it my best shot. He shouldn't be too difficult to track since I'm familiar with his magical energy." Rette said.

Rahal thanked her for her cooperation and allowed her to be escorted to the cell Jellal had been locked in. From there, Rette followed the trail of magical energy that lead from the cell to where they had broken out. The squad of men that Rahal had assigned to her, followed close behind her as she followed the trail. Apparently, once getting Jellal out, they had moved fast. While the soldiers decided to obtain one of the Magic Council's prisoner carts to transport themselves, Rette flew. Her motion sickness had only seem to get worse in the last two years so there was no way they were going to get her on the cart.

Whatever tricks Jellal and Ultear had used to mask their trail, it didn't hide their magical energy from her. It was almost too easy for Rette to follow, but since they had a few days on her, Rette was sure it would take a few days to find them, especially with the soldiers following her. While she hadn't planned to ditch them until she was closer to Jellal, she simply just didn't have the patience. The moment she was allowed a moment out of the soldiers' sights, she used her Crystal Mimicry spell to replace herself with a copy. Since the Crystal Mimicry spell granted the copy a portion of her magic power, it could sustain itself for days, even a week or two depending on the amount of magic energy she fed it.

Rette hoped it wouldn't take her too long to find Jellal, but just in case, she put enough magic into it to keep it active for a week. That meant she had to remain in hiding until the soldiers moved on and then walk for a while until her magic energy recovered, but she deemed it worth it. From her hiding spot, she watched her copy lead the soldiers in the opposite direction of the way Jellal had went. When she was sure the coast was clear, she set off in the real direction Jellal had gone in. She walked for a while, until her magic had fully recovered, than flew. It was so much faster on her own.

Now to just find an old acquaintance.

-0-0-0-0-

"I wonder how long they will send out search parties."

Ultear and Jellal glanced at Meledy. The three were currently hiding out deep inside a cave that they had managed to hide with an illusion. A fire burned between the three, lighting the space they were camped in. Since breaking Jellal out of prison, they had gotten as far as they could before laying low. Until all search parties were called off, they would remain where they were.

"They will call them off soon. They can't have many more trump cards up their sleeves." Ultear said.

"Oh, you'd be surprised."

All three flew to their feet, whipping around to face the mouth of the cave. Jellal's eyes went wide when they landed on the familiar form and face of Rette. The young woman was leaning against one side of the opening, her arms crossed loosely over her stomach. She tilted her head to the side when Ultear moved to deal with her, thinking her a Council officer. Jellal held out an arm to stop her.

"Rette." Jellal said, his tone half relief, half suspicion.

"It's been a long time, Jellal. I have to say, after all that's happened the last two years, it's nice to see a familiar face from back then." Rette told him, pushing herself from the rock wall.

Jellal released the breath he had been holding and approached her, offering her a hand. Rette took it, greeting him as a friend would. Her eyes traveled over his form, the magenta-lavender of her eyes flashing in the fire light.

"You've gotten horribly thin. Where'd all that muscle go, huh?" Rette asked.

"Prison changes a lot." Jellal told her.

"So I see. An escaped convict?" Rette asked, one eyebrow rocketing up.

Jellal's eyes moved away from her face as he released her arm. He was sure she was going to scold him. To his surprise, though, Rette just shrugged her shoulders, her hands going to her hips.

"Can't say I didn't silently cheer when I heard." Rette told him.

"Really?" Jellal asked.

"The way I see it, if you're going to try to make up for all you've done...well, you can't do that behind bars, now can you?" Rette asked.

Jellal shook his head, a smile curling his lips. Rette had such an open-mind about these kinds of things, that it was refreshing. He turned then, introducing her to Ultear and Meledy. Rette gave them a nod, though when it was mentioned that they had previously been with Grimoire Heart, Rette's whole body tensed up.

"You were on Tenrou Island?" she asked, her eyes flashing.

Both women hung their heads, unable to meet Rette's eyes. Rette could see that they were truly remorseful for their part in the attack on Tenrou Island. When she saw the remorse in their very body posture, all tension drained from her. She just couldn't hold a gruge anymore. Not like she could before joining Fairy Tail.

"You know what, I came here to ask a favor. Agree to it and we can call it all even." Rette told them, surprising them.

"You really are too forgiving." Jellal told her.

"No. I've just lost all will to hold grudges. My guild, in the last two years, has turned me into an over grown softie. Not to mention, you were important to Erza. Erza was a lot of things to and for me. She'd want me to forgive you and your friends." Rette told him. "Not to mention that what I have to ask, comes with risks."

This had the three staring at her with suspicion on their faces. They all sat down and Rette explained to them how she had been asked by the Magic Council to track Jellal down after he escaped. Jellal expressed his concerns on her presence there and Rette assured him that she had taken care of that part. She promised that she wasn't there to turn him in...ever. In exchange, she had a favor to ask of him. When she voiced her request, Jellal stared at her.

"You want me to...what?" he asked.

"I want you to teach me Heavenly Body magic." Rette repeated.

"Why?" Ultear asked.

"I'm the Nexus Mage. My magic requires me to learn several different types of magic so I can weave them together into new, unheard of magics. The general concept and make-up of Heavenly Body magic is compatible with both my Light of Creation magic and my Crystallization magic. The possibilities are vast." Rette explained.

"That's not the whole reason, though, is it?" Jellal asked.

Rette heaved a sigh. Leave it to an old childhood friend of Erza's to be perceptive. Just this once it would have been nice to not be seen through like that.

"Look, I lost a great many of my guild mates on that island. My whole team, for that matter. And there was nothing I could do to help them. I'm not going to allow my remaining guild mates to be hurt or harmed in any way. To do that, I need to get stronger. I've already obtained S-class status, but I still need more power. As long as I can protect my family, I'm willing to anything." Rette told him.

And he could believe that. Rette wasn't one to idly throw around convictions like that. That she had already gone so far in just the two years since the Tenrou Island incident, meant that she was serious. She was right, though, and there were some risks. If someone were to find out that she was meeting him, a convicted and escaped convict, to learn magic, Rette could end up in some serious trouble. Especially when she had been recruited to locate him in the first place and was attempting to lead the Council off his trail for the time being.

"Are you sure you're willing to take the risks?" Jellal asked.

"What part of "anything" do you not get? It's my family, Jellal, and they rely on me now. What else am I suppose to do? I'm not asking to move the moon and stars here. I just want the power to protect those who are important to me." Rette replied.

She wasn't going to back down. She saw this as her responsibility, as her duty to her guild, her family. Rette wasn't the type to step down from her responsibilities. In several aspects, she had grown to be a lot like Erza. In fact, staring back into her determined eyes, he could see a little bit of Erza in her, as if Erza had raised Rette as her little sister their whole lives. Then again, it was a determination that he had found lay in all Fairy Tail members.

Rette, despite what she might say differently, was no exception.

"Alright." Jellal agreed.

He was surprised when a smile, though tiny and not noticeable to those who didn't know Rette, curled her lips up at the corners. A look of relief passed through her eyes before her expression was back to it's aloof indifference.

"Thank you, Jellal." Rette told him. "This will go a long way to helping me protect them until the others return."

"You really think they're still alive?" Meledy asked.

"Of course. You fought with them. You had to notice. Fairy Tail...for us, giving up isn't in our nature. I know they're out there...somewhere. Its just a matter of waiting and looking." Rette said.

"You have a lot of faith in them." Meledy said.

"Faith in each other is one of the redeeming qualities about Fairy Tail mages. I can tell by looking at you...you have faith too." Rette replied, meeting Meledy's gaze.

Meledy was surprised, her eyes flashing, for a brief moment, to Ultear. When she looked back at Rette, Rette nodded to her.

"The three of you are no mystery to me." Rette said.

All three looked at her, watching as her eyes scanned over all of them. There was something in her eyes that suggested she knew, understood, and sympathized with everything they felt about all the evil they had done in their lives. As far as Jellal knew, Rette was completely innocent of wrong doing. When Rette met his gaze, it was like she knew that thought had crossed his mind. She shook her head at him.

"I've had just as much torment and connection to dark mages as you have. I never got to tell Erza and the others, but..."

Rette trailed off as she looked down at her gloved hands. They watched as she started tugging the gloves off. When they were removed, it reveal seamless, crystal bands, that shifted from one color to the next, wrapped around her both of her wrists, as well something burned into the backs of her hands. Rette held her hands up, showing them the brands. The three pairs of eyes looking back at her, widened in shock.

The brand was a very vivid "BC". Inside the loop of the "c" was the symbol of the clan which was a tear drop with a rose blooming in the center. As previous dark mages, they all knew what the symbol was for and it made Jellal's stomach bottom out to think Rette had gone through anything similar to his childhood. Rette yanked her gloves back on.

"Rette-"

"Lachlan Banesbloud...one of the biggest, baddest, and most twisted dark mages to walk the earth. I'll hear the screams that were caused under the orders he set up every time I close my eyes. He would even sacrifice his own flesh and blood if Zeref asked him. He was the founder of the Banesbloud Clan...the clan this brand belongs to. My birth father was a dark mage and my guild mates know that. Erza and the others did too. What I never told anyone was that he was a supporter of Zeref. He ran a place called The Compound, which raised, tortured, and twisted children into dark mages. All in the name of Zeref. For the first five years of my life, I lived in the cold darkness of a labyrinth of metal hallways, deep beneath the earth. I know how much a horrible childhood can mess with people. Especially when it involves Zeref." Rette told them, cutting Jellal off.

Jellal watched as she settled her gloves back into place. Rette had grown up in a horrible environment, just as he had, but she had come out of it so much better than he had. He was reminded of something she had once said to him, then: "... _sometimes forgiveness is the only thing standing between a person destroying everything and that same person saving the world. I would rather save than destroy_."

"Life isn't always easy and, even now, there are things I still have yet to tell anyone, things **I** have to atone for, myself. Faith and the mere fact that I know my guild will forgive me, is all I need to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Do what you have to...I'll drive the Magic Council off your trail." Rette told them, pushing herself to her feet.

"Thank you, Rette." Jellal told her.

Rette, who had turned to leave, half turned back to look at him. She waved off his thanks with one hand.

"Remember what I told you. Sometimes forgiveness is the only thing standing between a person destroying everything and that same person saving the world. I would rather save than destroy. Besides...I don't like the Magic Council, anyway." Rette told him.

Having managed to put a smile on their faces, she gave them a wave, leaving behind a special, magic crystal she had created that would allow them to get in contact with her. Now she had to return to the squad of soldiers following her copy and manage to switch back out without them knowing.

Compared to some of the things she had done in the past along side Natsu and the others...how hard could that be?

END

Kyandi: You see, that's one thing Rette and I have in common.

Rette: What?

Kyandi: Finding it funny to mess with people when they make it too easy.

Rette: Well, it **is** fun.

Kyandi: Yep! On a different note, the next chapter is going to start something you all have been waiting for.

Rette: Or at least most of you.

Kyandi: With that said, everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll be back shortly.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	5. Opening to the Games

Kyandi: And I'm back as promised. Sorry it took so long. I feel asleep.

Rette: But we have a new chapter.

Kyandi: That starts something a lot of you have been wanting to see.

Rette: I'm pretty sure they can figure it out from the chapter name.

Kyandi: Yep. Well, I'm sure you're all looking forward to it, so shall we move on?

Rette: Yes, we should.

Kyandi: Alright. Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 5 Opening to the Games

The matter of whether or not it was hard to swap back places with her copy, wasn't what she should have pondered. Facing Rahal and telling him she couldn't find Jellal, was. Apparently, Rahal doubted her the moment the words left her mouth. Rette knew she wasn't that bad of a liar, so it had to mean that he hadn't trusted her from the beginning. She would say that it hurt that he thought her a liar, but...well, in this case, she was a liar. All she could tell him was that she couldn't find Jellal and that was that.

Rahal probably would have called bull on the whole thing if Jura hadn't taken her side.

Though he wasn't happy about the outcome, Rahal was forced to let the issue go. After all, it wasn't like he could prove that Rette was helping Jellal. So he allowed Rette and Jura leave and the Council had to call of searches for the time being. Jura and Rette headed back home together, Jura insisting on seeing Rette home. When they were a good distance from the Magic Council headquarters, Jura looked down at her.

"You purposely lead them in the wrong direction, didn't you?" he asked.

"Who? Me? I assure you, I have no idea what you're talking about."

Even though a monkey could see through her false innocence act, Jura let it go with a chuckle. Jellal was an old friend of one of Rette's prized guild mates. He knew she would do whatever she could to help him. He just hoped she didn't get herself hurt or in trouble while doing so. Jura saw Rette home and the two parted. Rette spent the next couple of months, going in and out of the guild. As Kinana became more capable in taking care of the guild hall, Rette left on more and more missions. Every month it seemed to be the same thing. Macao seemed to always stay a month behind on payments to Twilight Ogre and when the due date would roll around, members of the other guild would come into their guild hall and wreck things.

Rette tried to get Macao to let her teach them a lesson, as Makarov would have, but Macao refused. Since he was now her guild master, she couldn't really go against his choices. Which really annoyed her. Between helping pay to replace the damaged furniture in the guild hall, paying her own bills, and helping to pay the payment Macao had missed, Rette seemed to constantly be out on jobs, trying to earn the money. Even when Macao insisted that it wasn't her responsibility, she just waved it off and headed out on her next job.

It was her guild too. She would do what she had to, to help them. If Macao had a problem with it...well, she would have loved to tell him what he could do with that problem but decided against it since Romeo was almost always around and he didn't need to hear those kinds of things. The stress was getting to be so much that Rette actually stopped one night to look at herself in the mirror. She had turned her head one way and then the other, wondering if she looked any older. If her team could see her now, would they recognize her? Granted, she did look a bit more mature with the hair cut she now sported, but she didn't think she looked any different than she did two and a half years ago.

Assured that she still looked as she always had, minus the change in hair style, she had gone back about her life. Her days became extremely busy. Work in the guild hall, job requests, sometimes helping Bisca with Asuka, and then there were the days she would meet up with Jellal in secret or the days she would spare the time to go out searching the sea once more.

Learning Heavenly Body magic was harder than she thought, but Jellal assured her that she was picking up on it splendidly. Her devotion to learning it and protecting her guild was a pleasant surprise to Jellal and his two companions and, through her lessons, Rette became close friends with the three. Maybe it was the time she spent with them, or perhaps the connection they had to a few of her missing guild mates, or maybe the fact that she understood them and what they were feeling and going through. Rette had a feeling that her growing friendship with them was forged from a mix of the three reasons.

Whatever the reason, they were happy for Rette when she finally was able to use Heavenly Body magic. It would take her a lot more time to mix the magic with her already existing magic, but it was a process that Rette both thrived in and enjoyed.

Time ticked by and the third anniversary of the Tenrou team's disappearance, came and went. To save money and because Rette insisted that since the two dates were only about a month apart, the guild celebrated Asuka's first birthday and Rette's twenty-first birthday at the same time. Rette didn't mind it. She actually liked how much like a family gathering it felt like. As the two birthday girls, Rette spent most of the party with a one year old Asuka sitting in her lap, happily playing with a rattle Rette had made especially for her. Though she was still awkward with the baby, Rette liked to think that she and Asuka had come to an understanding.

Asuka didn't cry when Rette held her, and Rette spoiled her with gifts.

It was an understanding that Rette could live with even if it was bribery and it was almost certain that Asuka had no idea what was going on. A new charm was added to Rette's charm bracelet. This one came in the shape of a dragon.

Shortly after the joint birthday celebration, Rette's guild mates approached her with a request, once more. Rette had been sitting at a table, working on paperwork, while Asuka sat in her lap with toys in each hand. Rette had agreed to watch the child while Bisca and Alzack went on a quick job. At most, Rette would have the little girl a handful of hours. At the most, she might end up keeping her for the night. One of which was alright and the other of which, terrirfied her.

It wasn't hard to figure out which one was which.

"Rette!"

Rette looked up from the paper she was working on when Max and Jet slammed their hands on the table. Asuka jolted against the arm Rette had wrapped around her and started tearing up like she was about to cry. Rette quickly snagged one of the child's toys and started rattling it, lightly bouncing the leg that Asuka was sitting on to sooth her. She turned a hard look on the two men once it was clear Asuka wasn't going to cry. The two quickly apologized.

Behind them stood a few other members of the guild, all looking nervous. Rette glanced over them before turning back to her paperwork.

"What has all of you so worked up?" Rette asked.

"The Grand Magic Games will be starting soon." Max told her.

"Say what?" Rette asked idly, only half paying attention.

"You can't say you haven't heard of the Games." Max told her.

Of course she couldn't. The Grand Magic Games was an annual magic tournament in which guilds would pick a team of five competitors to take part in a series of battles and events over a six day period. The first year the Games took place was just shortly after the Tenrou team's disappearance. This would make the third year. Rette knew of the tournament, but she had been disinterested and far too busy the last two years to bother with volunteering to be on Fairy Tail's team. She hadn't planned to take part this year either. She had too much work to do.

"I've heard. What about it?" Rette asked.

"You have to be on the team this year. The last two years, we've had our butts handed to us." Jet told her.

"We've come in dead last every year." Max agreed.

"How about this...you lose a third year in a row, then I'll help." Rette replied.

"Rette!" came the combined exclamation of her guild mates.

"I'm too busy. I have too many jobs lined up to take time off now." Rette told them.

When Max and Jet both opened their mouths to argue some more, Rette gave them both a hard look, shutting them up.

"Do you want the guild to be able to keep going? Cause at the moment, this paperwork and making payments is more important." Rette told them in a tone that said that that was the end of the discussion.

The others knew they couldn't argue with her anymore. Rette had too vivid of a point for them to argue. Rette turned back to her paperwork, idly bouncing Asuka.

"Like I said, if you lose again this year, then I'll clear next year ahead of time so I can take part in it. Right now just isn't a good time." Rette told them.

She was sure they would hold her to it, and that didn't bother her. She just simply couldn't put off her work. Not now when they were a month behind on the payments for the loan from Twilight Ogre and she had a mountain of paperwork to get through. Her guild mates would hold her to the promise and she knew it. She even saw Laki writing a reminder out and sticking it to the date of the games on next year's calendar.

Carting Asuka with her, Rette went back about her work, taking papers to Macao to be signed and helping around the guild hall as she could. When she caught a couple of the guys in the guild laughing, she stopped to face them.

"Alright, what's so funny?" she asked.

"You look like a mother!" came the combined answer from the whole table.

Rette, who currently had Asuka tugging on the short strands of her hair, wasn't really seeing the humor in this. The laughter of the men only increased when Asuka let out a squeal and smacked a tiny fist against Rette's cheek.

"If you find it so funny, then how about one of you hold her while I do my work." Rette told them.

All laughter ceased instantly, their faces going pale from the idea.

"That's what I thought." Rette muttered, walking away.

Going back to her work, Rette waited for Asuka's parents to show back up. While she didn't mind watching Asuka, she found it horribly difficult to watch the child and do her work too. Not that she would ever tell Bisca and Alzack that. Normally, Bisca had a friend who watched Asuka, but even that friend was busy, leaving only Rette as an option since others were busy. It was suppose to only be a, at the most, five hour thing.

Suppose to be, but Rette's luck sucked.

After seven hours with the child, Bisca and Alzack finally came back. By this time, Rette had had her hair tugged more times than she liked, had had baby food thrown at her, and had been laughed at too many times to count. When Bisca and Alzack saw her, Rette could tell they were barely holding back grins of their own.

"Hard time?" Bisca asked.

"I've wrestled with demons that gave me less trouble." Rette retorted.

The two laughed and Bisca held out her arms to take Asuka. When Rette tried to hand the child over to her mother, she refused to let go of Rette. Rette heaved a sigh as she looked down at Asuka.

"You're not going to let go until you fall asleep, are you?" Rette asked.

As if in answer, Asuke snuggled into Rette, keeping a tight grip on her hair. Though Bisca and Alzack claimed it was a good thing since it meant that Asuka liked her, Rette didn't think it was. If this was going to be the outcome every time she picked up Asuka, then Rette had a feeling she was going to start losing what little of her hair she had left. It took half an hour for Asuka to fall asleep where they could pry her loosened grip off Rette's hair where she could hand the child over to Bisca.

"Just think, Rette...a little more practice and you'll be mother material." Bisca told her when she took Asuka back.

"It'd be unfair to the child for me to be a mother. I don't have the sanity for a child." Rette replied.

Seeing how Rette freaked out whenever Asuka started crying while she was holding her, Bisca could see what Rette meant. It really was funny how Rette could face down big and bad monsters, demons, and mages, but she was scared beyond reason by the crying of a baby. Though Rette claimed she was no good as a babysitter and would never do it again, all Bisca had to do was ask and Rette would do it if she could. There were a few times out of the next few months when Rette ended up taking care of Asuka when Bisca and Alzack were on a job.

For the most part, though, Rette focused on her own task; training, jobs, practice with Jellal, and so on. One late summer day found Rette standing on a deserted beach far from the view of anyone, standing ankle deep in sand, sweat covering her bikini clad body. Standing before her, just as sweaty as she was, was Jellal. It was another of their practices, Jellal testing to see how far she had come with her Heavenly Body magic. Rette had begun to work on mixing the magic with her other magics. So far, she had managed two spells by mixing the Heavenly Body magic with that of her Light of Creation magic. One of which kind of put Jellal a little on edge since it highly incorporated his Sema spell and was mixed with Rette's Brightest Creation spell, which was her strongest Light of Creation spell.

Rette had dubbed this new mixed spell, Sema Lumen and it was so strong, it required a trifold magic array. Jellal had only seen it in action once and that had been during a trial run of the spell. It had been enough to accidentally wipe out the two story, stone building Jellal and his companions had been using as a temporary base. Rette had apologized for it, but Jellal was just glad she hadn't accidentally hit one of them with the spell. He was glad to see she had gained some control over her spells and just cautioned her to be careful before using her Sema Lumen spell.

Today's practice was just so Jellal could see how she was handling some of the normal spells. It was a little amusing watching her use the Metero spell since her body wasn't use to that kind of speed. Which was why she was currently covered in sand after crashing into the beach while attempting the spell. Rette braced her hands on her knees and heaved a sigh.

"Did you have this much trouble with that spell when you first learned it?" Rette asked Jellal.

"It is a little difficult to get use to." Jellal told her.

"Not the question I asked, but okay." Rette retorted.

With that, she dropped to sit in the sand. After all the training she had been doing, she would have thought she would be use it by now. Meledy brought Rette some water.

"Thanks, Meledy." Rette told her.

"I have offered before to give you access to your Second Origin. It would increase your magical power without all the intense training." Ultear told her.

"Yeah, and imagine how much that would increase my power if I have already increased it myself. I'll let you know when I'm ready." Rette told her.

Ultear smiled. Rette insisted on doing the work herself before she turned to a spell for assistance. Rette downed half the bottle of water Meledy had given her before turning her eyes to Jellal.

"I heard you guys took down another dark guild." Rette remarked.

After breaking Jellal out of prison the three had joined together to create an independent guild called, Crime Sorciere. Since the making of the guild, many rumors had started to fly around that the guild was taking on dark guilds and dark guilds only, destroying them. Rette was glad to see that the three had come to some kind of purpose for their lives. It was always nice to have a reason to live for.

"Do you just sit around listening for rumors about us?" Ultear asked.

"No, but as an S-class mage, I'm privy to information normal mages don't normally hear. Your guild's name comes up quite a lot in any gathering of S-class mages. I can tell you, most people don't know what to make of you." Rette replied.

"We didn't make the guild for others to understand." Jellal told her.

"Oh, I know. It just makes me want to smile whenever I hear a rumor about you." Rette told him.

"You haven't told anyone about us, have you?" Jellal asked.

"No. Though my guild mates know I'm going somewhere and training with someone. I swear. There use to be a time when they couldn't tell one thing about me. I was an enigima to them. And now? Now, its like sometimes they can read my mind. I'm getting lax. That's the only explaination." Rette remarked.

"That, or they've just gotten closer to you." Meledy suggested.

"Maybe. There's still things I can't tell them." Rette remarked.

She heaved a sigh and dumped the rest of her water on her head to wash away some of the sweat and sand sticking to her skin. Meledy handed her another bottle of water to drink.

"Anyway, on to business. When you called, you said something about needing to talk to me?" Rette asked.

Jellal turned serious and joined her in the sand, Ultear and Meledy finding their own seats on a couple of logs nearby.

"Have you been going to the Grand Magic Games?" Jellal asked.

"No. I've always been too busy. My guild mates compete every year though, and come in dead last. In fact, they tried to get me to join this year when the tournament rolled around." Rette replied. "Why?"

"We didn't notice this so much the first year, but in the last two years, we've been able to pick up on a magical energy...that feels evil like that of Zeref's."

When Jellal mentioned the dark mage's name Rette gasped, breathing in the water she had just been taking a drink of. She turned, coughing as she tried to clear her lungs of the water. Wiping her mouth on a towel offered to her by Ultear, Rette turned back to Jellal.

"Say what!?" she asked.

"At first, we thought it was just our imaginations, or that it was coming from us who were close to Zeref, but then the next year it appeared again, and then again the year after that. I'm sure it will appear again this year." Jellal explained.

"And you don't know what it is because you can't get close to the event without being caught." Rette added.

Jellal nodded in agreement. Rette had an idea on what he was about to ask of her. She had already promised her guild mates that she would take place in the next magic tournament if they lost again and well...they had. Horribly.

"Let me guess...you want me to join in this year and scope it out for you." Rette remarked.

"As a contestant, you would have full excess to the arena." Jellal said.

Rette heaved a sigh. No matter how hard she tried, it seemed she was always getting dragged into something that involved dark guilds or dark mages. It was almost like there was a person writing out her life and using the cliche, fighting evil at every turn, thing. Oh well. She was always willing to help a friend and she was already going to be there anyway. Why not nose around a little?

"Well I already promised my guild mates I would take part this time around if they lost again and they did. Might as well keep an eye out while I'm there." Rette said.

Jellal, Ultear, and Meledy thanked her, though Rette waved it off. The things she did for her friends. She really believed she was turning into a sap.

"Until then, we will train. Some of the guilds, from what I have heard, have some strong members." Jellal told her.

"More training...sounds like a normal day for me." Rette replied.

If she ever got a day to sleep in...she might think she had died and gone to heaven.

Might.

-0-0-0-0-

Over the next several months, Rette took her training, and that of her guild mates, up a level. If she was going to be taking part this year, then she needed to assemble a half way decent team. In the midst of all of this training, the fourth anniversary of the Tenrou's team disappearance came and passed. Rette put off her own birthday and wouldn't hear of a word about it. The others didn't argue, knowing that to argue would lose their chance to have Rette, their strongest member, on their team.

They did, however, gift her with a fourth charm for her bracelet. She now had the Fairy Tail emblem, a dragon, a four point start-in honor of her birth mother-and now, a charm that resembled a stack of books.

Finally, registering time for the Games came around. Rette did all the paperwork herself. Along with herself, she placed Max, Alzack, Laki, and Jet on the team with Bisca as their sub. Rette had tried to make a good balance of members on her team, but with so few members left in the guild, it was the best she could do. With everything set out and ready, she packed her bags for the trip to the royal capital, Crocas.

Crocas was a large city that was basically blanketed in flowers of various sizes and colors. Rette had never really been the flower kind of person, but even she had to admit that the city was beautiful. Everywhere she turned, there were more and more flowers, as well as more and more people. Rette caught sight of a few people bearing the emblems of others guilds. From the looks of it, several guilds had turned out. Rette, at the head of her group with Macao, noticed that, now and then, people would stop and do one of two things: laugh and mock Fairy Tail, or stare and mutter about Rette.

As the world's one and only Nexus Mage, Rette was use to being stared at. Not to mention that her wardrobe choices got her stares and mutters, too. Not that she paid much attention to either really. She would do what she wanted and be who she was. If that meant strange and unusual magic and skimpy clothing choices, then so be it. Rette stopped and turned to face her four teammates once they reached their lodgings.

"Alright, tournament rules say we have to be in our lodgings by midnight. If the four of you aren't back here by eleven-thirty, I'm hunting you down and you **will not** like it if I have to." Rette told them.

Laki smiled and readily agreed, while the three males on the team gave each other quick looks. None of them would be late because none of them wanted to face Rette if she was annoyed after having to hunt them down. With the warning delivered, Rette agreed with Macao that it would be good for everyone to get out and see a part of the capital. Rette was just going to hang around the lodgings, maybe read a book, but Laki decided that Rette would be her sight seeing partner for the day. She latched onto Rette's arm before the girl could retreat behind closed doors, and dragged her away.

It wouldn't hurt to look around a little...right?

As avid readers, Laki and Rette, both, were drawn to a large bookstore, where they each bought, at least, three books a piece. Discussing the books they had bought between them, the two walked down the street, ignoring the looks of those who passed. Well...Rette ignored the looks.

"Doesn't it bother you how they oogle you?" Laki asked.

"Not really. I'm use to being stared at by now. There's a lot of things about me that make people stare for various of reasons. It's not like I can stop them anyhow." Rette replied.

"How can they not stare at such a beautiful creature?"

Rette inwardly groaned when she heard that voice. It had been a while since she had heard it, but she knew it none the less. Especially when it spoke such quick and pointless compliments. Rette and Laki turned towards the speaker, Rette's free hand going to her hip.

"Hibiki, Ren, Eve...long time, no see." Rette greeted when her eyes landed on three of the most shameless flirts ever.

The three were instantly all over Rette and Laki, complimenting them while hanging onto their hands. When Rette had first met the three, over four years previous, she had freaked out at their up close and personal flirting. She hadn't had any idea on what to do or how to handle it back then. Now, after associating with the three for so many years, she had grown somewhat use to it. Of course, she could have done without the touching. Laki pressed close to Rette's side. While she had been the target of the three men's attention before, Laki wasn't as use to it was Rette was.

"Yes, yes, we get it. You think we're pretty. Do you three mind giving us some breathing space." Rette asked, shooing the three back a few steps.

Hibiki, chuckling as he did, stepped back, smiling at her.

"Use to be we could work at least one blush out of you." Hibiki remarked as Ren and Eve stepped back.

"Yes well...that was before I grew use to it. I've found that by being disinterested and hard to charm, it usually discourages men to approach. You three, though, are incorrigible." Rette replied.

Instead of upsetting the three, it made them smile. Apparently they were perfectly okay with being called incorrigible. Not that they could argue when it was true, anyway.

"I see you finally decided to join us in this little tournament, this year." Hibiki remarked.

"Yes well...my guild mates wouldn't really let me back out of it." Rette replied.

"You promised us, Rette." Laki reminded her.

"Yes, yes, I know." Rette replied.

Hibiki smiled, glancing at his two friends before turning back to Rette as she crossed her arms over her stomach.

"We've been hearing a lot about you. S-class, defeating monsters, being the Council's hunting hound, and much more." Hibiki said.

"You just had to add that last one, didn't you?" Rette asked.

"It's not that bad." Eve said, trying to comfort her.

"Not that bad? I don't exactly get along with the Magic Council as it is." Rette retorted.

"Then why'd you agree to help them?" Ren asked.

"You can't exactly say no to the Magic Council. Besides, Jura was the one that asked for my help. I wasn't going to tell him no." Rette replied.

"Beautiful and considerate. A goddess among women." Hibiki said with a dramatic flare of his hand.

Rette rolled her eyes at this. Her attention, though, soon switched to Eve as he came up next to her, reaching up to finger the ends of her short hair. A look of almost sadness, came over his face.

"But why did you have to go and cut your hair off? I thought it was beautiful the way it was." he said.

"It was a tribute. Once they're back, I'll let it grow back out." Rette told him.

None of them needed to ask what she was talking about. They had known her long enough to figure it out. Eve dropped the subject of her hair and took a step back from her. Rette, running her hand through her hair, heaved a sigh.

"Anyway, Laki and I are out doing some girl bonding, so we'll be seeing the three of you in the Games. Try to make it interesting, gentlemen." Rette told them.

The three Blue Pegasus men grinned at her, letting her and Laki get back to their "girl bonding". As soon as they were out of hearing range of the three men, Laki turned to Rette and raised an eyebrow in questioning.

"Girl bonding?" she asked.

"If I had said we were out sight seeing and shopping, they would have insisted on coming with us." Rette replied.

"Oh!"

Rette didn't need to say anything else in explanation. Neither really relished the idea of being followed by the three and constantly have them hanging off of them. They continued about their way, stopping now and then to shop or look at something. Rette insisted on buying their dinner before they headed back to the lodgings. Come eleven-fifty, Rette, Laki, Max, Alzack, and Jet were all gathered in Rette's room, waiting to find out why they had to be in the lodgings by midnight. Rette got her answer, and her balance severely threatened, when the clock hit midnight.

The moment the clock hit midnight, the building started to shake. Rette staggered to the balcony attached to their top floor room and threw open the doors. Outside, the roads of the city were rising into the air, parts of the road stopping even with the balconies attached to every team's room no matter the lodgings they were staying at. Aside from a small opening that would allow the team members to climb up onto the roads, walls rose to line the streets, blocking off sight of the nearby streets or anything else for that matter. Rette's teammates joined her on the balcony just as two spotlights lit the sky where a large pumpkin headed person appeared.

"To all the guilds here for the Grand Magic Games! Good morning!" he called into the night.

"Not exactly morning, but whatever." Rette muttered.

"In order to reduce the participating teams from forty-eight to eight, this year we will be implementing a preliminary event!" The pumpkin man called.

"I take it, this didn't happen last year?" Rette asked her teammates.

"No. There's been a manageable number of guilds taking part, but each year the number has grown. I guess it was just too many this year." Alzack told her.

"Well, either way. It won't matter." Rette remarked.

She would get her team through this preliminary event. She had to. For her guild and so she could snoop around for the mysterious magic energy Jellal had been talking about. Rette hadn't felt anything since entering the city, but that might change once the main tournament started. Which meant that her team needed to be one of the final eight teams.

"The preliminary rules are simple! You will compete with each other in a race to the event grounds, Domus Flau. As you can all see, the roads have risen away from the city and grown walls. They had change and switched, twisted and turned to form a maze which you must race through. Along the way, you will come to "Battle Gates", gates that will only open after two teams battle and one wins. A team must win six times to finally reach Domus Flau and all five members of your team must be present when you pass through the final gate. The eight remaining teams will participate in the event. You are free to use any magic you like, though you cannot use magic on the Battle Gates. Your lodgings are the starting line, so get set, get ready...and go!"

With that, a loud starting bell rung out over the city. Rette almost grinned. She turned to a nearby chair and snatched her belt and sword belt off of it, buckling both around her waist.

"A maze and team battles wrapped into one, huh?" Rette asked. "Sounds like fun."

Her four teammates called their agreement and, one after the other, they heaved themselves up onto the road. Rette turned to her teammates as the hole in the wall leading to their balcony, closed. Bright lights lining the tops of the walls, lit the way down the streets and lit her teammates' faces.

"Alright. Everyone stick together and watch each other's backs. We aren't going to get knocked out here." Rette told them.

All four nodded their agreement. Rette was glad to see serious looks on their faces. Depending on the guilds they ran up against, Rette was sure she could plow the way through for them. Especially since she had Max and Alzack at her back and she had grown use to fighting with them back to back with her.

"Ready? Then...lets move out, Fairy Tail!" she called.

With a loud agreeing cheer from her teammates, Rette turned and started down the road. She could hear the thundering footsteps of her friends behind her. They might not end up winning, again, because no matter how strong Rette was, a single person couldn't carry a whole team, but she was going to show all of those who had mocked her guild mates in the last three years, that Fairy Tail still had a lot of fight in them and that when they came together into a good working team, like Rette had put together, they were stronger.

Rette and her teammates would rip through any challenge presented to them with all their strength and would leaving a trail of broken mockers in their wake if they had to.

Rette dared anyone to laugh at Fairy Tail in front of her then.

END

Kyandi: Oh, I'm having so much fun writing this part!

Rette: Kyandi-sama planned all the contest parts of the Games before hand and even got a little help from her Evil Idea Generator.

Kyandi: Oh, you mean my little sister.

Rette: Yeah...her...She's got a twisted little mind.

Kyandi: Which is why she is my Evil Idea Generator. Together, we came up with some fun and...interesting contest games.

Rette: That is Kyandi Talk for "they're doomed".

Kyandi: Only somewhat. For those you who have not figured it out by now...I **love** torturing characters. It's so much fun.

Rette: Not for us.

Kyandi: Yeah, well...you're not the one in charge. With that said, everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: The jerk tells me to say we'll be back soon.

Kyandi: Oh, real mature, call me names. You sure you're eighteen?

Rette: Actually, I'm-

Kyandi: Yes, I know! Bye-bye, everyone!


	6. Minesweeper

Kyandi: Hello, everyone! I have returned!

Rette: And we have two new chapters for all of you.

Kyandi: I cannot tell all of you how much fun I had writing these.

Rette: Kyandi-sama and her Evil Idea Generator have had their heads together during the whole writing process.

Kyandi: Hehe!

Rette: Please don't start your creepy, half mad laughter.

Kyandi: Sorry! Instead of continuing this, let's just let them read.

Rette: Right.

Kyandi: So, everyone enjoy and review!

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Kyandi: Boy, did I wish I did.

Rette: The Fairy Tail world is screwed up enough without your assistance.

Chapter 6 Minesweeper

Rette insisted, from the very start, that they conserve as much magical power as they could. After all, they had to pass through six battles before they could reach the finish line. She didn't want any disadvantages if she could avoid them. Especially considering some of the teams that were present. Rette had done a lot of research in the last few weeks, taking a close look at the guilds that normally made an appearance in the Games. Of course there was the normal, everyday guilds she had come to know: Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, Quarto Cerberus, and even Twilight Ogre.

Then there was the guilds she had only come to hear about in the last few years: Mermaid Heel and Sabertooth.

While she wasn't really all that worried about a few of the guilds, Sabertooth, who had taken the number one spot since the founding of the Games, concerned her. Up until just before the founding of the Games, Sabertooth had been a little, no-name guild that never popped up in daily conversation. But then the guild switched masters and gained five new members that greatly increased their power. In the following years, Rette had heard that the guild had become obsessed with winning everything and being the most powerful.

Of course, Rette had reasons to worry about other guilds too. The foremost being Lamia Scale, who had taken second place every year. While Rette could stand against Lyon easily, they still had Jura, who Rette struggled to compete against. If she ran into Jura in this maze, they would be done for because if Rette couldn't stand against him, her teammates sure couldn't. She would just have to hope that luck held out for her and her teammates.

At the first intersection they came to, Rette stopped for a moment to search for nearby magic energies. She figured that by somewhat following the other teams, she would eventually come to a gate. After all, with the way the whole thing was set up, each team would eventually find an opponent and the number of the teams that passed through the gate would be cut in half at each level. She could already feel the battling magics of two pairs of teams to her left and to her right. Straight ahead though, there was a single team, just standing still.

That was it.

Rette opened her eyes and turned to her team. She jerked her head to signal that they needed to continue going straight. The others nodded, following her as she lead the way. The road twisted, turning sharply to the left after a couple hundred yards and when they rounded the corner, they found themselves in a wide, open space. On the other side of the open area, a large, glowing, crystal gate lit up the area. That had to be the battle gate. A team already waited in front of the gate.

It wasn't a guild Rette had ever heard of, which meant it had to be one of the small, hardly ever heard of guilds that had entered the Games in the hopes to bring a little more attention to their guild. None of them were really strong. Taking them down would be easy. Just what they need to limit the amount of magic they needed to use.

"Max, Laki. Their all yours." Rette said.

Max and Laki stepped forward, and following Rette's instructions, took down all five members of the opposing team without a single injury to themselves. The moment the team was down, the crystal gates swung open, baring the path beyond. Rette and her team quickly moved on. Rette wanted to finish this as quickly as possible.

A little sleep before the opening events tomorrow would be nice.

Especially since Rette could become a little...cranky, without sleep.

Following the same system that got them to and through their first gate, Rette lead her team on to the second gate. This one was large and was made of tin, instead of crystal. Rette had the feeling that the next gate would be copper with bronze after it, then silver, and finally gold. Not that it mattered. They reached the tin gate at the same time as their next opponent. Between Alzack, Jet, and Max, the team went down and the gates swung open.

With all the running they were having to do, Rette was suddenly grateful for all of the training Jellal and Ultear had insisted she go through. Her guild mates weren't so lucky. By the time they reached their third gate, which really was a copper gate, her teammates were out of breath. Luckily for them, another team hadn't shown up yet. Her teammates claimed seats on the ground, catching their breaths while Rette kept a feel out for their next opponent. It took thirty minutes before another team showed up. By then, Rette had grown so impatient from how sleepy she was getting, that she plowed through the team herself, mowing over them.

Apparently Rette wasn't the most patient person when she was sleepy.

"Exactly, why the hell did they wait until midnight? Are they trying to make people short?" Rette demanded as they ran on, heading for their fourth gate.

"Probably. A team that grows short from lack of sleep is more likely to mess up." Alzack said.

"So I've noticed. I'm thinking of making pumpkin pie soon. Anyone interested?" Rette asked.

Despite being tired, they all understood the threat behind the seemingly innocent comment. They had a feeling that the pumpkin she would be using in the pie would the Games' mascot, himself.

"I'm pretty sure that would **not** be the best idea ever." Max told her.

"If this goes on too much longer, we'll find out." Rette retorted.

The fourth gate, made of shiney bronze, came into view soon. Rette drew up short, making her teammates do the same. The team waiting for them had stronger members than the last three. Rette would have to rely on the teamwork she had developed with Alzack and Max to get through this one without blowing a lot of magic. Laki and Jet stayed behind, letting the three start forward. The team they faced, laughed upon seeing them, claiming, rather loudly, that they would win because they were up against the weak and fragile, Fairy Tail.

Rette personally saw to the smack down on three of the five members of the team.

No one laughed at Fairy Tail in front of her.

As they passed through the next gate, Rette slowed their pace to a walk. If they kept running, they would run out of steam and they still had two gates to pass through. The next two teams they faced were bound to be stronger than those they had already faced.

"Hey Rette."

Rette turned to look at Max as he fell into step next to her. Just behind him, Jet was covering a yawn.

"You can sense the magic energies of the others here in the maze, right?" Max asked.

"Yes. Why?" Rette asked.

"Can you tell who is left?" he asked.

Rette thought for a moment, and turned her focus to the magic energies around her. Most of those she could sense, were unknown people. If Rette hadn't met them before then, of course, she wasn't going to be able to put a face with the energy. But a few she did know.

"Somewhere far off to our left, I can sense Jura. Meaning that Lamia Scale is still in the running. Not that I expected any less from them. Just beyond them, I can sense Hibiki, Eve, and Ren from Blue Pegasus. I can sense some of those jerks from Twilight Ogre over to our right. Most of the others are unknown to me, but some are strong. Hopefully, our luck will hold out and we'll continue to meet weaker teams." Rette remarked.

"Just lead us to the weaker teams. Even if we have to completely cross the city, it's still a better choice." Jet remarked.

Rette thought about that. There were strong teams left, but there were still a few that were weak enough that it shouldn't cause them too much trouble. Or, at least, their magic power **felt** weaker. That didn't mean that their magic couldn't given them some real problems. She would just have to trust her senses and her teammates. With that in mind, Rette hooked a right at the next intersection.

"You have a point. The last two teams we have to face are going to be stronger. I'd like to save as much energy as possible for the last team." Rette remarked as her teammates hurried after her.

Rette took her team around a stronger team, avoiding them and finally a silver gate came into view. Standing before the gate was another team. It was harder, this time, to take down the team and it took Rette and all four of her teammates, but Rette felt like they were working together good. There was a moment, when Rette was covering Laki's back that Alzack called a warning. Rette had learned one thing quickly on all of the mission she had gone on with Alzack. When he called a warning...she hit the floor.

Alzack's shot went right over her head and took down the opponent about to attack her from behind. Rette thanked Alzack as Laki took down the last member of the other team. The silver gates swung open, admitting them to the last part of the maze.

"This last fight will be the hardest. While caution is always good, we'll have to go in swinging the first punch." Rette told her teammates.

"Take them by surprise?" Max asked.

"Yeah. That means long range attacks." Rette retorted.

Which was something they all had, except Jet, who's magic was his speed. Of course, he would come in handy in another way. With how fast Jet could move, taking people off guard was easy for him too. Rette just didn't want him to accidentally get hit by friendly fire.

"Don't you have a spell that could wipe a team of five out if you take them off guard?" Jet asked.

"A spell that big could knock off the stability of the maze roads. I don't want to accidentally knock us out of the sky before we can pass through that final gate." Rette replied.

All four of her teammates winced as they thought about falling out of the sky. Alzack didn't know about the others, but he had a daughter and a wife. He didn't really feel like going splat on the ground below.

"We're approaching the next gate. Quiet." Rette said shortly.

Keeping quiet and creeping along in the shadows, they neared the final gate. They could hear the team waiting there, talking amongst themselves. Rette, at the head of the group, waved Max and Laki to the other side of the opening to the little courtyard before the gate. Rette and Max peered around the edge, watching the team beyond. For still being in the middle of a contest, they appeared pretty lax, laughing and joking. Rette held up a hand, ready to give her teammates the signal to go.

Then she heard it.

"Did you see the Fairy Tail team this year?" one asked.

"They have got to be kidding! That team couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag!" another added.

"I don't know why they've even bothered coming this year. They're a washed out, pitiful excuse for a guild. They could do the world some good and just disband already." said the last.

Rette's teammates instantly plastered themselves to the walls, scooting away from Rette. The sheer force of her anger was enough to make someone gag. They could tell by the way her nails started biting into the wall that she was very close to losing her temper. And that she was.

Screw the stability of the roads.

Alazck and Max tried to stop Rette but she charged into the courtyard, her back straight as a board. This wasn't going to be good. This wasn't going to be good at all.

All over the maze, the other teams could see and feel the large explosion of power that lit up the night sky. Jura, from where he and his team stood, having just passed through their final gate, grinned to himself. He had a feeling that Rette had just lost her temper. And right he was.

Rette, having used her Brightest Creation spell, which turned shadows into light and that light into a massive explosion, stood in the middle of the destroyed courtyard, bits and pieces of the walls and road crumbling away, dusting herself off. All five members of the other team were currently laying in a pile on the city ground far below them after being knocked through the center of the courtyard. That was what they got for making fun of her guild.

The down side was that now the courtyard and the road connected to it, was starting to crumble to the ground below. Rette's teammates rushed from their hiding places as Rette leaned over the crumbling hole in the courtyard to look down at the team groaning below.

"That's what happens when you mock Fairy Tail. Best remember it." Rette called down.

With a curt nod to herself, Rette turned on her heel and continued around the hole. Her teammates followed, all four glancing down through the hole. So perhaps Rette's temper was worse than they had thought. She just might need some help with it. The gold gate, their last gate, opened as they neared and when they stepped through it, they found themselves on the road leading to the entrance of Domus Flau. The gate swung close behind them and the pumpkin headed mascot for the Games, appeared before them.

"Congratulations on completing the preliminary event! You managed to take fourth place!" he told them.

"Uh-huh, sure. Just hurry up and let me get to bed." Rette remarked.

While her teammates cheered on their success, especially for taking fourth place, Rette was just ready to get some sleep. After having a few things explained to them-like when they needed to be back at Domus Flau, a few rules, and a few things that would be expected of them-they were allowed to return to their lodgings. Upon entering the room she shared with Laki, Rette, fully clothed, fell face first onto her bed. Before Laki could get her to change, Rette was sound asleep.

Laki couldn't help but laugh as she pulled the blanket up over Rette. Sometimes Rette was just too funny. But she was completely, one hundred percent, loyal to the guild. Else wise she wouldn't have caused the damage she had just because of a few mean comments. She was eccentric in her own way, could have a wicked sense of humor, was pessimistic on the best of days, and had the world's worst temper.

But at least Rette was consistent.

For the most part.

-0-0-0-0-

"Good morning, Fiore! The time has finally come once again! The annual Grand Magic Games! I'm your announcer, Chapati Lola. And with me, I have former Magic Council member, Yajima."

Cheers rose from the crowded stands as hundreds of people who had come to see the games, called out their excitement. Somewhere in the locker rooms located under the stands, the eight teams that had made it to the main event, could hear the stomping of feet and the loud calls and whistles.

"The teams will now enter. First off is the preliminary round's eight place, Medusa Skull." Chapati called.

The team was from a somewhat unknown guild that had, in the last few years, grown in popularity due to their repeat performance in the Games. Each of the five members were males and bore their guild emblem in the shape of a skull with snake hair.

"Next up in seventh place...Quatro Cerberus!"

The male only team from Quatro Cerberus came out next. They were almost as loud as the fans, fists pumping in the air.

"Coming in sixth place we have the winged stallions themselves, Blue Pegasus!"

Ichiya led his team out, all members of the team striking the same pose and throwing winks in the direction of the crowd.

"Fifth place is the creatures of twilight, Twilight Ogre."

The members of Twilight Ogre came out, all cocky as they snickered to themselves.

"Next up, the surprise fourth place winners, Fairy Tail!"

Rette lead her team into the arena, the pole for her team's flag tucked into the crook of one arm and leaned against one shoulder. Several mutters flew around the crowd, some commenting on how a team that had always come in last place, could come in fourth in the preliminaries. A few others whispered fiercely to their neighbors about the Nexus Mage being present.

"It seems this year they might stand a chance of not coming in last. Why do you think that is, Mr. Yajima?" Chapati asked.

"Well, this year it seems they managed to recruit the help of their only S-class mage: Rette Starrilia. She's a strong one, very cunning too. Not to mention she's good at pulling together and encouraging her guild mates. She'll go a long way to improving their standings in the Games." Yajima remarked.

Rette, while she had respect for Yajima and was grateful for his high opinion of her, pushed the comments from her mind. She was busy looking over the other teams currently present. She had a feeling she knew who, at least one of the remaining teams was going to be.

"In third place is the all female guild, Mermaid Heel!"

A team of pure female members, came out, a few members waving or blowing kisses. It made the males in the crowd go wild.

"Second place goes to...Lamia Scale!"

Rette turned to watch Jura lead his team out into the arena. She had a feeling that they would make it into the final eight too. She wasn't disappointed.

"And for the last team, in first place for the preliminaries..Sabertooth!"

Rette's eyes turned as the last team joined the others. The team was made up of one female and four males and two of the guys looked like they couldn't be anymore than fifteen or sixteen. Rette half turned to Alzack who stood at her left shoulder.

"That's the team that's won the last three years?" she asked.

"Yeah. Those five are their elite mages, but the whole guild is made up of strong people." Alzack told her.

"I see..." Rette mused thoughtfully.

"What is it, Rette?" Max asked, taking a step towards her.

Rette's eyes were fixed on the team, a thoughtful look in her eyes even when her expression was idle and bored. She raised her nose slightly and sniffed the air.

"I smell dragons." Rette remarked.

"Yeah. Two of their members are known as the Twin Dragons. They're Dragon Slayers just like you." Max told her.

"Huh...this could turn out to be more entertaining than I thought." Rette remarked.

Chapati spoke up over the speakers then, keeping Rette's teammates from asking what she had meant with her comment. A large stone slab-like board appeared out of the ground with writing on it.

"Now that all of our teams are gathered, let's look at the lineup. The program has been revealed!"

Rette stared at the slab. Five days were listed out and four of the days had a contest, or game part and a battle part with a tag battle taking place on the fourth day. The fifth and final day of the Games was still completely blank. The contests were all blank, except for the first day which simply said, "Minesweeper". It seemed they wouldn't find out the rest of the contests or the final event until those days came up.

"A battle everyday, huh?" Rette asked.

"I'm more worried about the game. What the hell is "Minesweeper" suppose to be?" Max asked.

"As far as the contests go, this is how the points will be distributed amongst the rankings." Chapati announced as a second slab appeared.

This slab held all the rankings, from first to eight and the points the team would receive along with the ranking. First place would get ten points, second would get eight, third would get six, fourth would get four, fifth would get three, sixth would two, seventh would get one, and, of course, eighth would get zero points.

Sounded about right.

"During the contest part, you will select one person from your team to participate. For the following, battle section, the organizers will pair up cards selected from the fans' votes. The battle section's rules are simple. The winning team will receive ten points. The losing team will receive none. If it's a draw then each team will receive five points. Without further ado, I bring you the Grand Magic Games' opening game! Let's start "Minesweeper"! Each team will have a participant and after each team picks their player, I will explain the rules." Chapati announced.

Rette's teammates turned to her as she thought about it. Minesweeper could mean a lot of things, but she had a feeling it had something to do with finding mines. If that was the case then someone who could accurately attack from a long distance would be better. That meant they needed a sharp shooter. Rette turned to Alzack.

"If we went by the game name, it sounds like something to do with finding mines. In that case, a sharp shooter, who can attack accurately and from a distance, would be the best idea. Alzack, you go." Rette said.

Alzack nodded. He stepped forward with the others. The only other familiar faces among the players chosen that Rette knew, was Ren from Blue Pegasus and Cherie from Lamia Scale. A guy from Sabertooth, who reminded Rette a lot of Freed, stepped forward as well, tipping his hat, a smirk on his face. The rest of the teams were directed to individual balconies where they could watch their teammates compete. Rette stood right at the wall, her arms lightly crossed over her stomach and peered down at the eight mages gathered for the details of the game they would be playing. Rette, intrigued by the Freed-like person, leaned back a little.

"Max, who is that from Sabertooth?" Rette asked.

Max walked up to her side, looking down at the arena below.

"That's Rufus." Max replied.

"An awful lot like Freed, style wise, don't you think?" Rette asked.

Jet snorted from where he stood. Max let out a laugh at the thought. If Freed had been there, he would have been insulted with the mere suggestion.

"Let us start Minesweeper!" Chapati called.

Rette watched as, with a great display of magical power, the field of the arena was turned into a large grid. Each of the participants found themselves standing inside a single square which then lit up with a number. Alzack ended up standing in a square marked with a two.

"The rules of Minesweeper are as following. The squares you eight players are standing on, are marked with a number. That number...is how many squares touching either one of the four sides or one of the four corners of the box you are currently in, that contain mines. You must take that in account when you move into one of the squares around you. One wrong step and it's game over. You will take turns, going in the order in which you finished the preliminary event. Step on a mine, and you're out."

Rette groaned lowly. She definitely picked the wrong person for this challenge. It was more about brain work than anything else and while she didn't doubt that Alzack was alright when it came to the brains department, he wasn't actually a puzzles kind of guy.

"I should have picked Laki or myself." Rette said.

"Alzack's smart." Max assured her.

"I don't doubt that, but these days, since Asuka's been born, his brain has been pretty fried. You try figuring out a puzzle like this when most days, a wailing toddler keeps you awake half of the night. Laki and I are avid readers and even do puzzles together. We would have done better." Rette replied.

"You got a point there." Jet said, wincing.

"And with the way they have it set up, at the least, seven of them down there are going to get blown up. A pretty dangerous game, if you ask me." Rette added. "I suppose we'll see how it turns out. As long as he doesn't get dead last, I think we can still make it up later on."

They watched as the game started. Rufus, who stood on a corner square marked with a one, was first. Carefully considering his actions, he moved into the square touching his by the corner. A green light lit up, letting him know it was a safe square. Cheire moved next, taking extra caution since her square showed a four. Rette called her a lucky duck when the square she chose, lit up green. A woman in a spider web patterned suit from Mermaid Heel was next. She was the luckiest of the bunch, standing in a square with a one on it.

Then it came to Alzack, who looked a little panicked. Rette silently willed him to stop, calm down, and think. With Ren standing in the square next to him with a two shining under his feet, there was a good chance that stepped forward would get him blown up. Thankfully, it seemed Alzack picked up on that. He took the square straight to his side and was relieved when it lit up green. All eight players made it through the first round, all eight getting a green light. Rufus, moving with confidence, took his next square the moment the player from Medusa Skull got the green light. Another green square lit up under his feet, presenting a new number.

With more and more squares being revealed, the players got a better view of where they could and couldn't move. The problem lay in making a wrong move, or when a player ran out of safe squares around them to step into. Alzack got another safe square, but the player from Medusa Skull, didn't. In a flair of exploding streamers and a puff of smoke, the square under his feet "exploded".

"Well, that was disappointing." Rette remarked.

"Were you actually hoping they would blow up!?" Jet asked.

"Would have been amusing if they did." Rette told him.

"You are aware that your guild mate, **one of your friends** , is down there, right?" Max asked.

"Details, details, details. I've never really been a stickler for details." Rette replied idly.

"I really worry being on a team led by you." Jet told her.

"Too bad, so sad. Suck it up." Rette retorted.

Rette turned her attention back to the field. The remaining seven players were moving cautiously about the board, picking their next steps after a good deal of thought. The next person to step on a "mine", was the member of Quatro Cerberus, but this time the squared lit up with a double bomb symbol...before actually exploding. Rette let out a low whistle as the player was sent flying.

"Talk about being wild." Rette remarked, basically pulling a pun using the usual mantra of the Quatro Cerberus guild.

"We forgot to inform you, but some of the "mine" tiles will appear with the double bomb symbol. Those are actual explosions!" Chapati announced.

Now that was interesting. While Rette really didn't want her guild mate to blow up, there was a sense of adrenaline there, not knowing if the next square you stepped in was a bomb or not. Even if they knew, they didn't know if it would actually explode or just be streamers. Many of the players, reasonably, seemed concerned. Rufus was about the only one who wasn't fazed. He moved about the board during his turns with confidence, a slight smirk on his lips.

Rette had the unreasonable urge to slap that smirk off his face.

Alzack jolted in shock when the member from Twilight Ogre, stepped on a square next to his, and the square lit up with another of the double bombs symbols. Rette silently willed him to calm down and just think about it. With fewer players and more squares and numbers revealed, it would become easier and easier to figure it out. At least in Rette's head it would.

For Alzack...not so much.

Alzack was the next one to step on a "mine" square and tensed up, expecting a double bomb. He was so tense and wound up, that when all it did was throw up the puff of smoke and the streamers, he fell over in his relief...and landed on the next tile over which lit up with the double bomb symbol. Rette let out a low, "Ohhh..." when the square went off. Max and Jet looked at Rette as she covered her mouth with one hand.

"Are you **laughing**!?" they asked together.

"Of course not. Even if it is funny." Rette said, her voice cracking slightly at the end as if she was, indeed, laughing.

How could she not laugh? Alzack, despite stepping on a "mine", had basically been in the clear, but then, in his relief, he had fallen onto another square and had gotten himself blown up. It was his own fault, really. Bisca definitely couldn't blame Rette. Rette had an even harder time containing her amusement, when Alzack rejoined them and his hair was sticking up all over the place.

"Sorry, guys." Alzack said when he rejoined them.

Laki brought him some water to try to help him with getting his hair under control. Rette merely shook her head at his apology. Fifth place wasn't awful. It wasn't dead last, which would have meant no points at all, so she was good.

"No, it's fine, Alzack. Three points is better than none. At least you put us on the board with points." Rette told him.

"Yeah. Feel relieved." Max told him, clapping him on the shoulder.

They watched the game end with Sabertooth taking first, Mermaid Heel taking second, Lamia Scale taking third, and Blue Pegasus taking fourth. With the contest part finished, they moved onto the battle portion. The first battle featured a member of Medusa Skull going up against a member of Twilight Ogre, the latter taking the win. The second match was Orga of Sabertooth going against Eve of Blue Pegasus. It caught Rette's attention when Ogra, with one, literally, electrified punch, put Eve down and out for the count.

Lightning magic, huh?

Great...now she was going to be stuck thinking about Laxus for the rest of the day.

The image of the grinning blond man continued to nag her from the back of her mind. Rette swore she was going insane. That was the only way to explain how she could become so fixated on a man that annoyed her as much as Laxus did. Thinking that, a quote she had once heard, popped into her head: "Love is patient, love is kind. Love means slowly losing your mind". Rette mentally gave herself a shake. There was no way that was what this was. She was simply just crazy. But even thinking that, she couldn't help asking herself several questions.

Where was he?

Was he alright?

Was he annoying other women?

And why in the world did that last one make her feel like gnashing her teeth together?

The announcing of the third match, called Rette out of her thoughts. Something she was grateful for.

"We will continue with the third match of day one. Lamia Scale's Jura verse...Fairy Tail's Jet!"

All eyes of Rette's team turned to Jet who had gone pale in the face. They all knew, without a doubt in their minds, that Jet was going to be eating dirt. Almost literally. Jet looked panicked and like he might be sick. His eyes locked on Rette.

"The only one of us that would stand any chance against Jura, is you, Rette!" he said.

"Yeah, but we don't get a choice in this part. Just do your best. If you can out run him and dodge him for the whole thirty minutes, it'll end in a draw." Rette told him, trying her best to sound comforting.

Apparently she failed because Jet was basically shaking as he joined Jura in the arena. Rette leaned a hip against the balcony railing and lightly crossed her arms over her stomach. Since the battles were chosen by the organizers from battle cards turned in from the crowd, Rette had expected it to be a bit uneven, but this battle was completely one sided. While Jet had speed, Jura was just an out right monster. Even if Rette had been called instead of Jet, she couldn't say she would have even lasted thirty minutes for a draw.

And she was one of the best at running away and dodging people.

Rette knew Jet wouldn't make it. Jura was on a completely different level. There was no way Rette could even pretend to be positive about the situation. And sure enough, almost as soon as the gong to start the match, was rung, Jura planted Jet face first on the ground. Rette heaved a sigh, slightly annoyed with the one sided-ness of the match. Jura turned to look up at her, as if he could sense her annoyance.

"You almost have a frown on your face." he called up to her.

"No, I don't. But couldn't you have, at least, been a little kinder to him? He'll be incoherently babbling for the rest of the day." Rette retorted in her usual, idle and indifferent tone.

Jura chuckled. No matter how Rette sounded, he knew she was just concerned with the well being of her friend. As Jet was carried to the sick bay, Jura returned to his team and the last match of the day, between Quatro Cerberus and Mermaid Heel, took place, the latter taking a quick win. With that, the day's event ended. Rette stared at the score board.

Sixth place.

With only the three points that Alzack had gained them, they had landed in sixth place. It wasn't dead last, but it really got under Rette's skin when the team in fourth was Twilight Ogre. Sabertooth had taken first, followed by Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale, Twilight Ogre, Blue Pegasus, Fairy Tail, Quatro Cerberus, and finally Medusa Skull. While it wasn't dead last, Rette didn't like their standings. Most it was because she had promised to help her guild. But if she was to be honest, her mood was already bad and that was because of the nauseating, dark magic she could feel dwelling just beneath the rest of the magic she was feeling from the guilds currently gathered there in the city.

Rette now knew what Jellal had meant. But she couldn't, for the life of her, figure out where it could be coming from. It was subtle, so much so that most mages wouldn't even notice it, but it nearly blanketed the whole city. Rette would have a hard time trying to figure out where it was coming from and who was responsible for it. Because of her frustration with this, as well as her team's standing in the Games, that evening found Rette sitting at her table in the dinning hall of their lodgings, drumming her nails on the table top.

"Oh, come on, Rette. It's only the first day."

Rette was jerked from her thoughts when someone spoke. She looked up, finding Bisca sitting across from her. When had Bisca gotten there? The last time Rette had noticed, she had been alone at her table. She must have really been lost in her thoughts if she hadn't noticed Bisca sitting down at her table.

"We'll do fine." Bisca continued to try to comfort her.

"Oh...yeah. I suppose." Rette said absently, raising a hand to bite on a single nail.

"Is something wrong, Rette?" Bisca asked.

"It just annoys me that a guild like Twilight Ogre, is ahead of us in the rankings. If nothing else, I want to beat them." Rette remarked.

Bisca grinned at her. After all the torment the guild had put them through since they had taken the loan, Bisca was sure that the rest of their guild mates would agree with Rette. And as long as they didn't come in dead last again, it would all be fine. Rette heaved a sigh. Worrying about things would change anything. It was best to just get some good sleep and be ready for whatever the next day brought them.

"Well, that won't get done if we don't try our hardest. I'm off to bed." Rette said, getting to her feet.

"Night." Bisca told her.

Rette waved to her and headed for her room. Between her promise to her guild and the job she received from Jellal, Rette had a feeling she was going to be totally worn out by the end of the Games. She might even take a vacation.

Now wouldn't that be nice.

END

Kyandi: Hehe...sorry to all of you Alzack lovers out there. My EIG, my Evil Idea Generator, gave me the idea of having him fall over onto a bomb square.

Rette: Poor Alzack. His hair was all over the place.

Kyandi: Better than him being all over the place.

Rette: Now that's just grim.

Kyandi: I know, right? Anyway, I have another chapter to prepare, so everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll be back very shortly.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	7. Snatcher of the Crown

Kyandi: I told you we'd be right back.

Rette: She's having too much fun humiliating me.

Kyandi: Sorry, but this is going to become a running gag.

Rette: Oh, fun...if it wasn't obvious, that was sarcasm.

Kyandi: I figured. We're just going to hop right into this. Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 7 Snatcher of the Crown

"Welcome to Day 2 of the Grand Magic Games! I'm your announcer, Chapati Lola."

Day two of the Grand Magic Games, saw Rette standing on her team's balcony, ready to see what the organizers had in store for them that day. She had awoken that morning to the loud yells of Macao trying to raise morale among their guild mates. She wasn't sure if it really worked, but she, for one, was ready to face the day.

"We'll be starting today's contest now..."Turn Tile". Please send down your players."

Rette didn't even know what to think of a game called Turn Tile. There were so many things it could be. An accuracy game, a game of luck...it was just too vague for her gauge what it could possibly be. All she could do was just pick someone and hope it wasn't something that they were ill equipped to handle. Rette was pulled from her thoughts as Max laid a hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at him.

"Let me do it. We'll probably need you and Laki for later challenges, Alzack went yesterday, and Jet's still reeling from his defeat to Jura." Max told her.

Rette thought about it. Really, he was speaking sense and she couldn't argue with him. She nodded, letting him take the challenge. Max joined the other players down below. Today's member from Sabertooth was a teenage male with blond hair, a scar over his right eyebrow, and a cocky smirk on his lips. When Rette asked, Laki told her that his name was Sting and that he was one of the Twin Dragons from Sabertooth. It wasn't, yet, public knowledge that Rette, herself, was a Dragon Slayer. It would be amusing to see these two Twin Dragons' faces if she got to fight one of them and revealed it.

Especially given the new trick she had learned.

"Let's start today's contest event, Turn Tile!"

With a call from the announcer, the field begin to change. The ground under the players' feet, rose, tall, thin poles, holding up the ground they were standing on. A large, sectioned off area, appeared around the bottom of the poles. What was in it, Rette didn't know. The ground on which the players stood, turned into evenly divided tiles, leaving the players scattered over a tiled field.

"The rules are as such, when the beginning gong rings, you will have to move about the perilously balanced tiles. Stay still, or take a wrong step and you'll fall into the pit below with the tile. You are not allowed to use any kind of magic to lift you up off the tiles or on the tile your standing on. You can, however, use magic to attack others to knock them off balance." the mascot explained in his overly cheerful voice.

"This shouldn't be too bad. Max should be alright." Rette remarked.

He wasn't at a horrible disadvantage, though, Jet's speed would have been welcomed in a game like this. Max, though, was smart, when he wanted to be. He would be able to handle this match. And if he happened to send the representative from Twilight Ogre crashing into the pit below...well that would earn him extra points with Rette.

The gong sounded and the magic that was holding the tiles even, was released, sending the tiles, and the people standing on them, wobbling on their poles. Max surged into motion, jumping to the next tile over when his tile started tipping to one side. As if he knew exactly what Rette wanted, Max instantly went after the member of Twilight Ogre, knocking the guy's tile completely over with his magic. With a yell, the man went tumbling into the pit below. With a loud yelp and a splash, the man landed in what looked like iced water. He was instantly trying to climb out, shivering from the sheer cold of the water.

Alzack, Jet, and Laki let out a cheer for their teammate. Quatro Cerberus, who had sent out a large guy as their player, was the next to lose. It seemed the big guy lacked any sort of balance and he just couldn't book it across the tiles fast enough to keep from falling in with them. He hit the cold water below with a large splash that shook the poles and the people fighting to keep their balance on top of them. The shaking threw the representitive from Medusa Skull into the water, Ichiya from Blue Pegasus following. Only a little bit of quick foot work saved Max from following suit.

The moment Max caught himself though, he was knocked from his perch by Cherie from Lamia Scale.

Fourth place.

It was one place better than yesterday. Max rejoined them, shivering and trying to shake out the ice that had ended up in his pants. Rette threw him a towel and he gratefully accepted it.

"Good job, Max. That's four more points to our score." Rette told him.

"Sorry. If I had been paying attention I would have seen her attack coming." Max replied.

"It's alright." Rette assured him.

Sabertooth, once again, took first, Lamia Scale's Cherie barely managing to take out Mermaid Heel's player before falling in too and therefore earning her team second place. The matches started right after the field was returned to normal and the first match featured Yuka from Lamia Scale verse a member of Twilight Ogre. Yuka, with his ability to neutralize magic, won the match.

"On to the second match. Fairy Tail's Alzack Cornell verse Medusa Skull's Geargruff."

Medusa Skull, huh? While Medusa Skull had some good mages, Geargruff, a tiny man and a snake charmer, wasn't all that strong. As long as Alzack avoided the snakes that attacked at Geargruff's command, he would be just fine. Rette told Alzack this much. Alzack nodded.

"Don't worry, Rette. I know about Geargruff. Aside from his snakes, his defenses are nonexistent." Alzack said.

Rette nodded and they saw Alzack off with encouraging cheers. Rette, for one, wasn't a big fan of snakes. She had once, when she was about nine, watched a huge boa constrictor squeeze the life out of a small mountain cat. Tundron had killed it before it could be tempted to come after Rette, who had been tiny at the age of nine, but it still creeped Rette out how a creature with no legs or arms, could have that much strength in it.

Needless to say, Rette was happy to let Alzack be the one to deal with the snakes.

When the gong rang, Alzack jumped into movement, avoiding the snakes instantly sent after him. With accuracy that a true sharp shooter like Alzack obtained with practice, Alzack shot those of the snakes that got near him, buying his time as he tried to line up a shot at Geargruff. Granted, that wasn't easy to do when Alzack also had to pay attention to the snakes coming after his feet. There seemed to be no end to them. But Rette was proud of Alzack when he finally got the shot he was looking for and took down Geargruff, winning the match.

Rette could hear everyone of her guild mates in the stands as they cheered. Max and Jet nearly deafened her with the loudness of their shouts and cheers. Max and Jet congratulated Alzack with claps on the back, Laki cheering for him when he rejoined them. Rette gave Alzack a proud nod. The last two matches were Sabertooth verses Quatro Cerberus in which the former, of course, won, and Mermaid Heel verses Blue Pegasus with Mermaid Heel taking the win. By the end of Day Two, the rankings stood with Sabertooth in first place with forty points, Lamia Scale in second with thirty-four, Mermaid Heel in third with thirty-two, Fairy Tail in fourth with seventeen, Twilight Ogre in fifth with eleven, Blue Pegasus in sixth with seven, Quatro Cerberus in seventh with three, and Medusa Skull in last place with two points.

"I can't believe this, Mr. Yajima! Fairy Tail, who usually comes in dead last every year, is currently in fourth place!" Chapati exclaimed over his microphone.

"Yes, I had heard that they were training hard and this year they have their S-class mage competing. Their rankings are bound to improve." Yajima replied.

Rette agreed. She had worked hard with her team and she believed in them. They could do whatever they set their minds too. They didn't need her to do that, but Rette would do whatever she had to, to help them. For now, with the events for the day over, Rette was going to do a little snooping around the city. After congratulating her teammates on a job well done, Rette split off from the group. Using her Seek spell in hopes to search without being obvious, Rette tried to track down the source of the dark magic. The closest she got to it was the gardens of the castle. It made Rette wonder if the person or object responsible for the magic was inside the castle.

Then would that mean the royal family had something to do with it?

Rette couldn't say for sure and she wasn't going to jump to conclusions. False accusations of that sort directed at the royal family could end up being bad for her. Finding a back alley away from others, Rette used one of the special communication crystals she had made to call Jellal. When his face appeared in the crystal, she glanced around to make sure no one around.

"Rette, any success?" Jellal asked.

"I've tried tracking the magic, but the closest I can get to it is the gardens of the royal castle. I believe it might be either inside the castle or under it. Either way, I can't get any closer. The magic blankets the whole city, but the source doesn't seem to be moving from where it is." Rette told him. "Sorry."

"No. That's more than we knew. Continue to keep an eye out. Whatever it is, it might decide to come out of hiding before the end of the Games." Jellal replied.

"We'll see." Rette mused.

"How is your team doing?" Jellal asked.

"We're in fourth place right now. I haven't had to take part in any of the events, yet. That might change tomorrow. Every member of my team will end up taking part in the battle part of the events, so I'll end up taking part sooner or later." Rette remarked.

"Is that excitment in your tone?" Ultear remarked, pushing Jellal out of the way so her face appeared in the crystal.

"Even I get excited when something interests me." Rette replied, her eyes watching the mouth of the alley, making sure no one took interest in her lurking in the shadows.

"Just don't over do it and use a spell you haven't completely finished yet." Jellal told her, turning the crystal back to him.

"I know. I'll keep the three of you updated." Rette replied.

"Good luck in the Games!" Meledy said, squeezing between Jellal and Ultear to wave to Rette.

"Thanks. You three be careful." Rette told them.

"We will." Jellal promised.

With that, they cut communication. Rette tucked the crystal back into its pouch on her belt. She heaved a sigh and ran a hand through her hair. Her eyes went up to the sky. With the sun setting in the distance, the sky was being painted red and orange. Soon the nightly celebrations that the competing guilds threw, would start. Her own guild mates would probably be drinking and cheering, happily laughing and carrying on at their current ranking. Thinking about that, a wave of longing hit Rette causing her to drag in a ragged breath.

At times like these, she really missed Natsu and the others. Rette let her eyes drift close and she reached deep inside to snag hold of the link she had with Thyme. It was as strong as ever, but still too fuzzy to tell much. It was almost like Thyme was frozen in time and, while Rette moved forward, everything on Thyme's side of the link, stayed the same. Four years had passed, nothing had changed, and her friends were still missing. Most would have given up by then, would have lost hope of every seeing her friends again.

Rette only hoped more.

With each passing day that went by and the link with Thyme remained strong, Rette felt more and more like she had a great chance of seeing her friends again. Until then, she would take care of her guild. That meant making sure they were happy and well. If taking part in these Games would make them happy than she would do it. Didn't hurt that it was actually pretty amusing and exciting.

Rette pushed herself away from the wall and headed back towards her guild's lodgings. When she pushed open the door to the dinning hall, she found exactly what she thought she would find. Her guild mates were in the middle of drinking, laughing, and celebrating their advancement in the ranks. The moment they caught sight of her, her guild mates dragged her to the large table they were currently crowded around and made her sit.

She ended up being held there for a few hours, watching her friends and declining any offers for drinks. While her tolerance for alcohol had increased over the last four years, Rette had the events of the Games tomorrow to think about and if she let one person of her guild buy her a drink then she'd have to let them all. And if she drank that much...she'd be sick all through tomorrow.

A little after midnight, Rette called it a night, calling for Max, Laki, and Jet to get to bed too. Alzack had gone to bed hours before, so Rette didn't have to worry about him. Rette helped Laki spill a somewhat drunk Max and Jet into bed and the two women went to bed themselves. For a while, Rette laid awake in her bed, staring out the window at the moon hanging in the sky beyond. She didn't really think about anything, just kind of let her mind wonder.

She thought about her friends that were missing, she wondered if they could see the same moon she was looking at, she wondered what tomorrow's events would be, she questioned if she would finally take part in an event, she asked herself where Laxus was, and so on. Her mind ran through so many topics that her head spun. Finally she fell into a dreamless sleep.

At least two of her questions would be answered in the following day.

-0-0-0-0-

"Welcome to Day Three of the Grand Magic Games! Today we are joined by Sorcerer Weekly journalist, Jason!"

Day three started with Max and Jet groaning about headaches. Rette could have no sympathy for them because she had warned them not to drink too much. They still had to go through Day Four events as well as today's and then they would get a day off before the final event for Day Five. Now had they decided to get drunk on the end of Day Four, then there wouldn't be an issue.

But that wasn't the case.

"I warned you two not to drink too much." Rette told them as they groaned.

"We know!" they snapped back at the same time.

Laki giggled as Rette shook her head. Alzack stood off to the other side of Rette, smiling as he watched his two male teammates grip their heads. And this was why Rette didn't drink a lot. While it could be calming, it robbed a person of their senses and then left them with a splitting headache and upset stomach the next day.

But it was funny when it was someone else.

"Today we'll be starting with our contest event; Catch 'em All!"

Rette turned her attention back to the Games mascot below. Catch 'em All. It suggested that they would have to track and capture something. And it seemed the realization crossed all of their minds because all of the eyes of her teammates, turned to Rette. Rette was the best at tracking and she had a couple of good spells for capture.

"Yeah, I know. I got this." Rette said.

Her teammates wished her luck and Rette made her way down to the arena, where the other players were gathering and being introduced. The moment Rette stepped into the arena, she could hear her teammates let out loud shouts and cheers, probably screaming themselves hoarse.

"And it seems that Fairy Tail has sent their strongest contestant, the Nexus Mage, Rette Starrilia." Chapati announced.

All eyes of the other seven players turned to Rette as she walked towards them. Several men in the stands wolf whistled and Rette knew why. Her outfit of choice today was a long, sleeveless coat that was made purely out of black lace. She wore it open over a dark purple top that looked like it was nothing more than a scarf tied around her chest, the bow tied in front, and a pair of barely-there, black shorts. All paired with her usual, fingerless gloves and calf-high, black boots. The outfit left little to the imagination. Not that Rette cared.

Hibiki, who had been sent to play for Blue Pegasus, though, had to greet her with his normal, "You look beautiful today, Rette.". Rette ignored it. She noticed, with a tiny bit of satisfaction that the players from Medusa Skull and Twilight Ogre, were looking at her with looks of dread. They knew what they were in for, going up against her. Rette's reputation did proceed her. A quick glance around the group showed her that she was up against the woman from Mermaid Heel who wore the spider web patterned suit, Yuka from Lamia Scale and the big guy, Orga, from Sabertooth. She didn't know the guy from Quatro Cerberus.

Rette's attention was turned to the pumpkin headed mascot as he bounded up to her and offered her a tray on which sat decorative pins, each in the shape of a different symbol; a heart, a clover, a diamond, a spade, a flower, a crown, a bow, and a pair of wings. Rette picked up the diamond and the mascot moved on to the next player. She eyed the pin as the rest were passed out. Once they were passed out, the mascot faced them.

"Here's the rules for Catch 'em All. Each of you have received a pin in a different shape. You will now each draw a slip from this box. The symbol on the slip, is the pin you must capture in a thirty minute time period. Your target's pin is worth five points, your pin is worth four, and other remaining pins are only worth one." he told them, holding up a box for them to pull slips of paper from.

Rette stepped up and pulled a slip from the box. When she stepped back, she opened it where only she could see. Staring back at her from the paper was the crown symbol. Rette's eyes scanned the pins in the other players' hands and she quickly found the crown...in Orga's hand. Of course. That was just her luck, huh? Rette folded the slip back up. Once each of them had remembered who they were after, they were allowed to throw the slips back in the box.

"This will be your battle ground!" the mascot said, turning to gesture grandly.

Behind him, a large, maze like structure appeared in the middle of the arena, rising several stories high into the air. It was bound to be huge on the inside.

"You have thirty minutes to collect points as you wish and you are allowed to use whatever magic you want to steal the pins." the mascot explained.

Rette glanced around at the other players, trying to guess which one had drawn her. She knew the instant she caught sight of the player from Twilight Ogre, who was staring at her with a face drained of color. Rette, in a clear display of a challenge, held her pin up and tucked it inside her top. She would move it once she was inside the maze and out of sight of the others. If possible the face of the man from Twilight Ogre went even more white.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

With the rules explained, all eight players were magically teleported into the maze, all at different locations on different floors or in different sections. Oh, like that was really going to work with her. First and foremost, she moved the pin. While she knew half of those competing in this game would expect her to move it, half of them would expect her to keep it tucked into her top. So Rette took the middle road. She kept it in her top, but pinned it to the inside of the left side, towards the bottom of the top. Unless someone went digging through her top, they would never find it.

With that done, she went to work casting her Sensory Shower spell. It gave her a full view of the maze. The spell worked by raining tiny, almost completely invisible shards of crystallized light over a limited area. The shards then built a picture in Rette's head of her surrounding area. To Rette, though, the area appeared to her as static. Snowfall on a black backdrop. Only magic, be that mages or spells, appeared as colors on her radar. Each mage gave off a different color and a different feeling with that color. Their spells did the same thing.

Focusing, Rette pushed aside the annoying, blaring mess of color that was the maze construction itself, and focused on the individual spots of color that was the mages inside. She had made sure to pay attention to Orga's magic before being moved into the maze. It wasn't hard to find the crackling, yellow and black mass of magic that was the man himself. Rette opened her eyes and started following him. Confidently, she walked through the maze, taking the right corners, avoiding the others. She could work on gaining other points after she took Orga's. Once she had his, the hard part would be over.

Outside the maze, the audience watched what was going on inside on lacrima screens. Rette, confidently working her way through a maze, never hesitating, was in the forefront.

"It seems Rette of Fairy Tail knows exactly where she's going." Chapati said.

"Rette is skilled in tracking magic. She has a heightened sense for locating and following others' magical energy. The Magic Council actually recruited her a while back because of that reason." Yajima replied.

"It's soooo cool!" Jason agreed.

"But Rette also has a wide variety of magic spells that are good for everything from defense, offense, tracking, traps, and I heard she's even recently added a few support-type magic spells to her arsenal." Yajima said.

"And she's hot!" Jason added.

Not that that really mattered. Rette's guild mates knew that Rette's appearance, mattered so little to her. She didn't care if others found her pretty or ugly, or anything like that. She probably would have smacked Jason and called him an idiot if he had said that to her face.

Inside the maze, Rette sneezed, the high pitch sound leaving her to echo through the room she was passing through. Rette pulled a tissue from one of the pouches on her belt and blew her nose. Someone was probably talking about her. She didn't doubt it. Rette moved on, continuing on her path. Her Sensory Shower spell was picking up three incoming magical energies and they were blocking the only path to Orga. She was going to have to confront them. The power of the magical energies was considerably lower than the others and weren't all that familiar to her. Rette was going to go with a guess that the three were from Twilight Ogre, Medusa Skull, and Quatro Cerberus.

It might shake the building some, but she had been meaning to try out a new spell in the field.

With that thought, Rette passed through a doorway, finding herself in a ballroom-like room. Standing between her and the next door, were the exact three she had thought was going to be there. Rette heaved a sigh as she came to a stop facing them.

"I'd said I hate it when I'm right, but I really don't. What do you three want?" Rette asked.

When none of them answered, just stared at her, Rette tilted her head to the side. The tension in the air was almost tangible. She was making the three of them nervous. With good reason. So since they weren't answering, she decided to provide them with the answer.

"Let me guess. I was right and I'm your target." Rette said, pointing to the member of Twilight Ogre. "And you other two also drew strong players as your target, so the three of you, to better your odds, decided to form an alliance, to help each other get your targets. Of course, afterward, you could turn on each other. Am I right?"

The quick glance between the three was answer enough. They probably came after her first thinking that she was the weakest of the three they had drawn. That would be their mistake.

"Well, let me stop you right there. I don't need any of your pins, but I'm not one to let people off so easily when they clearly target me. So here's the only warning you'll get...turn around and run." Rette told them.

Despite the obvious nervousness they had at facing her, they stood their ground. Alright, if they wanted it that way, she could comply. The three jolted when Rette started casting her spell and, after a moment's pause, charged her. They should have attacked her the moment she walked into the room. That they didn't, was another mistake on their behalf.

"Light of the left, Heavenly Body of the right...Nexus magic."

Rette raised her left hand into the air, pointing two fingers at the ceiling. A large, yellow-white and black magic array appeared above them.

"Heavenly Starlight, Trifold Magic Circle...Illuminating Heavens!"

Two more magic arrays, growing smaller as they went down, appeared right below the first. The dimly lit room was suddenly lit up with a bright light as beams of light like that of shooting stars, fell from the magic arrays, crashing into the floor around her and expanding to completely fill the room. The whole building shook, making several people throughout the building, stop to look around. Hibiki knew, the moment he felt the magic, that it was Rette, as did Yuka. Outside of the building, the lacrima screens focused on Rette and her three opponents, was temporarily blanked out by the bright light. Silence had fallen over the crowd.

When the screens cleared, it showed a rather bored looking Rette, standing over her three opponents, who were clearly down for the count. They watched as Rette crouched down next to the three and dug through their pockets until she removed their pins.

"I'll be taking these. I warned you to run. You should have heeded it." Rette said, her voice echoing from the screens.

With that, she got back to her feet and stepped over the three, continuing about her way, as if nothing had happened. Her guild mates let out a loud cheer, filling the arena with their cheers for Rette.

"There you have it, folks! Rette Starrilia's Nexus magic at work!" Chapati announced.

"She's so cool!" Jason yelled.

"Yes, Rette truly is a one of a kind mage. She's able to learn and combine different types of magic to create magic that has never existed before. Basically it is like she is preforming a Unison Raid by herself. What we just saw was probably a mix of her Light of Creation magic and Heavenly Body magic." Yajima added.

Macao was a little uncomfortable with that. He knew Rette had been looking to learn Heavenly Body magic, but the question was, where had she learned it from? She hadn't been able to find a book on it. Macao was sure he knew the answer and he just hoped no one from the Magic Council came to the same answer as him.

Inside the maze, Rette was continuing to follow Orga. From the feel of it, he wasn't really moving all that much. It was almost as if the guy was bored. But something else caught her attention. As she continued to walk, Hibiki, Yuka, and the woman from Mermaid Heel, all stopped by the three Rette had already defeated and stayed for a moment, as if they were searching the three. Rette had probably taken their targets out. That meant they would probably come looking for her once they figured out it was her. Oh well. That would just give Rette even more of a chance to take more pins. As it was, she had the five points from her own pin plus the three from the three she had taken. If she could take Orga's, that would be a total of thirteen points.

Rette paused, then. Orga was just ahead of her, standing still in a room just down the hall. Rette crouched down, placing her right hand on the ground. She needed to set her battle field if she wanted to stand a chance against Orga.

Down the hall, in his room, Orga was bored out of his mind. He wondered who had drawn him, but no one had approached him yet. If anything, everyone seemed to be avoiding him. For all he knew, the person who drew his pin had probably decided they would be better off not trying to take it. Orga himself, had drawn the pin that belonged to the pretty boy from Blue Pegasus. He should probably go find him and take the pin.

He had just decided that and was turning towards the nearest door, when he noticed that there were crystals starting to grow all around him. He turned, looking at all of the life size crystals now formed around him, their surfaces glittering in the dim light. Squeaking of hinges, made him turn to face the door. Standing there, her arms crossed loosely over her stomach, was Rette. She tilted her head to the side as she looked at him.

"Are you here for my pin?" Orga asked.

"If I was, why would I tell you that? Seems a little unavailing, don't you think?" Rette replied.

That wasn't a yes or a no.

"Just curious, but how do **you** think it would go if I was here to take your pin?" Rette asked.

"Badly...for you." Orga replied.

"I see...I disagree."

Orga raised an eyebrow at Rette as she ran a hand through her hair. Pushing her bangs away from her right eye, she looked at him. Her eyes scanned him. There was only so many places that a shirtless man could hide a pin. And when her eyes landed on the pin, pinned at his belt, she had a feeling that he hadn't really tried all that hard to hide it. It would make taking it from him all that more easier. If he was anything like Laxus, she could take it and only have to bat her eyes at him.

Not that she would ever lower herself to using seduction.

She wouldn't even know where to begin.

Rette started forward, letting her arms hang loosely at her side as she approached him. She wondered how close he would let her get before deciding she might be a danger to his person. Apparently he didn't think her a danger, for she came within six feet of him and he still didn't move. Rette stopped right in front of him.

"But to be honest, yes, I did draw your pin. I could just leave it at the eight points I've already gathered, but...that would be boring." Rette remarked.

"You're just going to end up losing." he told her.

"Oh, no I'm not."

He really shouldn't have let her get so close. Rette was right in front of him, reaching for the pin before he could react. Something like a grimace twisted his mouth as he swung out, aiming an electrified punch for Rette's head. Rette dropped into a crouch, letting his fist fly by over her head, and lunged up, arm reaching. Orga seized her wrist, yanking her up off her feet. With ease, he swung her away from him, but Rette wasn't letting him put distance between them that easily. She twisted the hand in his grip and latched onto his arm with both hands.

Orga tried to swing her loose, but found that Rette was like a little spider monkey. He swung his arm up, in hopes to slam her into the floor, but that was a mistake. As soon as her body flew up even with his face, Rette kicked out with both feet, slamming her heels into his cheek. Considering that she was wearing heeled boots...she didn't imagine that it felt too good. He released her wrist and Rette wrapped a leg around his arm. With the other leg, she kicked out, hitting him in the back of the knee. The knee gave, driving Orga to one knee.

Rette landed back on her feet, still holding onto his out stretched arm. Now that he was on one knee, it put Rette taller than him, but just barely.

"I just managed to drive you to a knee. You were saying something about ending badly for me?" Rette asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Though her expression was still indifferent, Orga got the faintest impression of mocking from her. Or was it smugness? He couldn't tell. All he knew was that he was both slightly impressed and horribly annoyed. Rette's eyes went to the hand she was gripping the wrist of as black and yellow lightning sparked to light. Just before he set off his attack, Rette cast a spell with her free right hand. A crystal formed in the air next to Rette, sucking in his lightning and sparing her the electric shock. Orga stared in surprise at her as she snatched up the crystal and then shook a finger at him.

"That's not going to work. Let's not make this difficult, alright. Just hand over the pin." Rette told him.

Difficult?

Oh, he could make this real difficult for her.

Orga surged to his feet, pressing the forearm of the arm she was gripping, into her stomach. With a mighty heave, he heaved her off her feet and tossed her clear across the room. Rette twisted, barely landing on her feet. She slid all the way to the wall. Pushing herself back to her feet, she placed a hand against one of the life size crystals that had formed before she had showed up.

"Alright, so big boy's got some strength in those muscles." she remarked.

"You thought they were just for show?" he asked.

"No. Simply that usually men with your particular physique are simply over compensating for the lack of something else. I know a man just as muscled as you, who apparently is over compensating for the lack of brain power and common sense." Rette said, standing up straight and dusting off her clothes. "I believe perception is what you might be lacking."

"What do you mean?" he demanded.

"You didn't even notice." Rette said, heaving a sigh.

"Notice?" Orga asked.

Rette's eyes flickered down towards his belt. Orga looked down...finding his pin missing. What the hell!? When had she gotten it!?

"Deception, evasion, misdirection, anything along those lines is something I excel in. You were so focused on **me** , you didn't see **her**." Rette told him.

"Her?"

Orga stared in surprise as a doppleganger of Rette dropped down from the ceiling above. Everything about her was the same as Rette, right down to the charm bracelet around her right wrist. The doppleganger held out a hand, dropping Orga's pin into Rette's hand.

"Thank you." Rette said, waving her right hand in a dismissive gesture.

The doppleganger turned into crystal and shattered. Rette waved the newly acquired pin in the air, her free hand going to her hip.

"Told you I'd get it." Rette said.

The incoming bolt of lightning, made the hair on the back of Rette's neck, stand on end. The bolt hit the spot where she had been standing, and when the smoke cleared, Rette was gone.

"Is that a temper I see?"

Orga looked up, finding Rette hovering in the air, graceful, dragon wing shaped wings of light arching from her shoulders. He watched as she tucked his pin into her top. There was no way he was letting her get away with it. His master would kill him if he lost the game to a girl from a guild that had fallen from grace. Rette dodged his next attack as easily as the first and swooped towards the floor. She made an instant b-line for the doors. Orga lunged for her, grabbing onto her before she could get too far.

What he latched onto...was the back of Rette's barely there shorts.

Rette's forward momentum, mixed with his grip on her shorts, stretched the waist band, giving him a glimpse inside her shorts. Orga couldn't help but stare.

"Wait...you're not wearing und-"

Orga was cut off as Rette aimed a kick backwards, her foot making contact right with his jaw. He was forced to release her shorts, letting her dart away from him. She half turned to look at him, her eyes narrowed slightly.

"What I do and do not wear is of none of your concern. Do yourself a favor, big boy, and keep your hands to yourself." Rette told him.

With that, she zipped out of the room. There was no way she was sticking around. Especially not after he had got a look down her shorts. Why was it that the thing he had to grab, was her shorts!? And exactly what did he expect to find, huh? Some really frilly, really girly underwear? Sorry, but that wasn't Rette.

Bits of the ceiling raining down announced where a bolt of lightning hit, just barely missing her. Rette glanced back finding Orga chasing her down the hall. As she flew down the hall, she zipped right past Hibiki.

"Rette?" Hibiki questioned.

Orga went charging past him, chasing Rette. Curious, Hibiki fell into step. Before Rette knew it, she had all four of the remaining players after her. It kind of fit considering she had stolen the pins of at least three of their targets. Dodging and evading them, Rette zipped through the halls. A chime called a five minute warning. Rette just had to hold out the last five minutes and she would win. Rette reached a stair case that spiraled down and instantly dived down the open space right down the center of the stair case. She leveled out at the bottom and continued on.

Time to play a little hide-and-go-seek.

Landing on her feet, Rette went into hiding. Orga reached the bottom of the stairs but could see no sign of the light let off by Rette's wings. Where could she had gone? He was just wondering that when Hibiki appeared behind him. The wing shaped pin shined from the tie tied around his neck. That was the pin that Orga was suppose to find. If he got that, then at least he would have five points. It was better than the zero he currently had.

Rette, hiding nearby, inwardly winced as Orga took Hibiki down, taking his pin. Once Orga moved on, Rette came out of hiding to make sure Hibiki was still breathing. She leaned over him and whistled lowly. Hibiki looked beaten up, but at least he was conscious, sprawled on his back. Rette crouched next to him.

"You came down those stairs at the wrong time." Rette told him.

"Yeah...I notice." Hibiki said lowly.

"Let me guess...you had the spade, the clover, or the bow as a target, huh?" she asked.

"The clover." Hibiki replied. "You have it, don't you?"

"Yep. The three idiots thought they could gang up on me. Tell you what. I don't need it, it's only worth one point to me, and I figure four years of friendship has to mean something, so..." Rette pulled the clover pin out of it's hiding space and dropped it into Hibiki's hand. "I owe Blue Pegasus anyway for all of your help four years to go. Not to mention that I like Master Bob. Consider us even."

Hibiki chuckled lowly. Rette made him promise not to lose the pin in the time remaining and left him there to get himself back together. She ended up running into the player from Mermaid Heel and in the scuffle, one of the pins fell out of her top. It was the spade and not of much importance to her, so Rette let it go. And from the char marks on the other woman, it looked like she had also run into Orga and lost her pin. Rette figured a one point pin wasn't much of a loss.

Orga found her shortly after and started towards her, ready to end it, when a final buzzer rang, signalling the end of the game. The maze vanished, placing all eight players, even those unconscious, back in the arena.

"And with the combined points from her own pin, that of her targets, and an extra pin, Rette from Fairy Tail wins Catch 'em All with ten points!" Chapati announced.

Loud cheers erupted from Rette's guild mates as she held up the three pins in question. She sent a wink in Orga's direction as if saying, "I told you so". Orga frowned. He was going to be in so much trouble with his master.

"In second place, with a total of six points, is Sabertooth's Orga. Third place with five points is Blue Pegasus, fourth place with four points is Lamia Scale, fifth place with one point is Mermaid Heel, and in last place, therefore earning their teams zero points, is Quatro Cerberus, Medusa Skull, and Twilight Orge." Chapati announced.

Rette's guild mates started up a chant, filling the arena with scouts and cheers of her name. Rette, heading back to join her teammates, passed Orga. She gave him a pat on the arm.

"Better luck next time, big boy. You almost had me. Next time, don't grab my shorts, or I will kill you." Rette promised him before walking away, waving over her shoulder.

Orga watched her go. On one hand, his master was going to be pissed, but on the other hand...Rette was one hell of a woman.

Rette, the moment she rejoined her teammates, was instantly swallowed up in a group hug, all four of her teammates cheering at her success. Rette didn't see that it was a big deal. She insisted that they focus on the upcoming battle. The fights started with Sabertooth taking on Twilight Orge and winning, followed by Lamia Scale taking on Medusa Skull, the former also winning. The third match was Blue Pegasus verse Quatro Cerberus, Blue Pegasus taking the victory. The fourth match was Mermaid Heel's Kagura verse Laki. Laki ended up losing, but with Rette's victory in the contest portion, they maintained their fourth place standing.

That night, her guild mates were louder than ever. Rette excused herself, preferring not to get caught up in the drinking and partying. Instead, she went for a walk through the city. It was such a nice night out. That is...until she ran into **them**. Rette was walking down a mildly busy street when she heard her name being called.

"Rette Starrilia, I presume?"

Rette turned, finding the five members of the Sabertooth team heading her way. At the lead was the dark hair woman that was on the team. She had fought in the battle portion today, taking down her opponent with so much ease that it made it look like child's play. Rette searched her brain for a name and only remembered it when the woman reached her.

"And you would be Minerva, right?" Rette asked.

"You remembered my name. Good." Minerva said, a smile on her face.

That smile instantly gave Rette a bad feeling. It instantly rubbed her the wrong way, though she couldn't begin to state why.

"Can I help the five of you?" Rette asked.

Though she included Minerva's teammates in that question, her eyes remained glued to the other woman. Despite Rette's loose and relaxed posture, her arms crossed loosely over her stomach, she was ready for any underhanded, foul play Minerva could pull. She just felt like that was something Minerva would do.

"Our master, my father, was greatly displeased that our Orga lost to you today." Minerva told her.

"And so you've come to take revenge? If so, do yourself a favor and turn around and walk away right now." Rette told her.

Minerva let out a little laugh that really rubbed Rette the wrong way. What was it about Minerva that bugged her so much? The smug, high and mighty air of I'm-better-than-you-and-know-it that was as thick as smog around her?

Yeah, maybe that was it.

"No, no, that's not it at all. After all, we are still in first place while you are only in fourth." Minerva replied.

"I don't care." Rette said simply, surprising them.

Seeing the surprised looks that Minerva's four teammates shared between them, Rette heaved a somewhat put out sigh. It only seemed to annoy Minerva when Rette looked like she was so overly bothered just talking to them.

"It's just a game. A mindless tournament meant to entertain the masses with pointless displays of power and might. That you take it so seriously shows that you are having nothing more than a moment of childishness and naivety." Rette told her, half turning as she got ready to leave.

"Excuse you?" Minerva said, her anger starting to rise.

"There's a quaint little expression that says, "If you win, say nothing. If you lose, say less.". I believe you could learn from both ends of that. Now if you'll excuse me, I was having a pleasant evening before you approached me." Rette said, turning around to walk away.

"You are aware that tomorrow, the last two remaining members on each team will be fighting in a tag team fight, right? That could put you up against Rouge and Sting. You'll lose." Minerva called at her.

"Once again...I don't care. I guess we'll just have to find out tomorrow, won't we?" Rette called back. "Until then, do the world a favor and grow up and stop trying to pick fights in the middle of a public street."

With that, Rette vanished among the other people on the street. Minerva could pick all the fights she wanted. Even if she did rub Rette the wrong way, Rette wasn't going to respond. There was no point in it. Tomorrow would be the tag team battle and, as Minerva said, it could mean that Rette and Max, the only other person on her team left, could end up fighting Rouge and Sting. But that was only if Fairy Tail faced Sabertooth in the battle portion.

Plain and simple...Rette hoped they did.

END

Kyandi: Sorry, but Minerva during the Grand Magic Games, really annoyed me. She's a total bi-

Rette: How about you don't finish that sentence.

Kyandi: Well, she is!

Rette: Doesn't mean you need to say it out loud.

Kyandi: You're right. While I love all of my royal readers, I think I'll go ahead and say bye for now. I'm excited to get to work on the next chapter.

Rette: No pimp slapping Minerva.

Kyandi: Right, right. That thick skull of hers has to be hard as steel. It would hurt.

Rette: Not the point I was trying to make.

Kyandi: Oh, I know. Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll be back as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	8. The Three Dragons

Kyandi: Howdy, everyone. I'm back!

Rette: Kyandi-sama had said that she was going to double up chapters for now, but she was so excited about this chapter, that she couldn't wait until she finished the next one.

Kyandi: Well it is your tag team match.

Rette: Yippee.

Kyandi: I'm sorry?

Rette: You're running gag is going to be the end of my sanity.

Kyandi: What little sanity you have?

Rette: You aren't helping yourself.

Kyandi: Oh well. My readers will find it funny.

Rette: Whatever.

Kyandi: With that said, everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail. Sadly, she owns me.

Kyandi: You betcha!

Chapter 8 The Three Dragons

"Welcome to Day Four of the Grand Magic Games! You can practically feel the tension in the air."

Rette's teammates could feel it too.

They didn't know what had happened, hadn't asked questions. All they knew was that Rette had come back to the lodgings last night in the worst mood they had ever seen her in. Since then, she had been letting off an aura that suggested that if they asked her...she would probably bite their heads off. They had a good idea on what it involved though, since Rette and Sabertooth's Minerva, hadn't stopped glaring at each other since entering the arena.

The two women put the "chill" in "bone chilling". If looks could kill, both would already be dead, that was how intense their staring contest was. Something had happened between the two the previous day and none of Rette's teammates had the courage to ask what and Rette didn't offer the information on her own. She was still glaring when the contest event was called for the day.

"Today's contest will be "Round-up"! Please send your player!"

Rette and Minerva broke eye contact at the same time, turning to their respective teams. Rette focused her mind on the task at hand. Round-up sounded pretty self explanatory. Speed would probably be a required factor. With that in mind, Rette sent Jet. Jet joined the other players down below, waiting for instructions on how the game was going to be played.

"Here is the rules for Round-up. When the gong rings, forty magic powered, mechanical goats are going to be released, each worth a different amount of points. The higher the amount, the harder they are to catch. In twenty minutes, you need to catch as many as you possible can. You are allowed to use any magic but cannot destroy the goats to catch them."

Goats...if Rette wasn't so annoyed, she might have been bent over double trying to hold back laughter. As it was, she had to brace her hands on the low wall in front of her and focus hard on not letting herself burst into undignified giggles.

"Rette...are you laughing?" Max asked.

"No...give me a moment and I might be, though." Rette replied.

Max shook his head, but he had to admit...it was funny. There always seemed to be one contest that aside from being funny, didn't make much sense. This one was sure to be funny and then some. Sure enough, as the game begin, Rette found it more and more difficult to keep her face straight. Watching people chasing goats was hilarious. Especially when Jet took a dive for one and got head-butted in the forehead. Behind her, Max, Alzack, and Laki hissed in sympathy while Rette inwardly winced. Goats had hard heads naturally, but a mechanical goat? Rette didn't even want to think about how much of a headache Jet was going to have.

It was still kind of funny, though.

Especially when the same goat turned around and head butt Jet in the back side while he was gripping his head.

In the end, as it was most often, Sabertooth took first and Lamia Scale took second. Blue Pegasus took third, Mermaid Heel took fourth, and, to everyone's great surprise, Quatro Cerberus took fifth. Jet earned Fairy Tail sixth place while Twilight Ogre fell into seventh and Medusa Skull came last. It seemed the poor members of Medusa Skull were never going to earn their team another point. How they had made it past the preliminaries, baffled Rette.

As the matches started, Rette grew serious and tense, her excitement obvious to her teammates. They could tell she was ready to knock someone around. The first match was between Lamia Scale and Twilight Orge. It ended fairly quickly in Lamia Scale's favor, taking Lamia Scale's over all points up to sixty-six points. The second match was Blue Pegasus verse Medusa Skull. Medusa Skull's last remaining members to fight were their weakest and fell quickly the Blue Pegasus team, taking Blue Pegasus up to thirty-nine points.

Unless Rette and Max could win their match, Fairy Tail would fall to fifth place and Blue Pegasus would take their place in fourth. With the announcement of the next match, it became clear who Rette and Max would be fighting and the aura of excitement and readiness that flowed off Rette was enough to knock her teammates for a loop. The third match pitted Mermaid Heel against Quatro Cerberus, with Mermaid Heel winning.

The last match would feature Rette and Max verse the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth.

While Max dragged his feet, not really looking forward to this match, since he knew he didn't stand on the same level as Rette, let alone Rogue and Sting, Rette practically flew down to the arena when they called the last match.

"And here it is, folks, the final match of Day Four. Sabertooth's Twin Dragons, Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney verse Fairy Tail's Nexus Mage, Rette Starrilia and Max Alors." Chapati announced.

Rette, with Max standing a few feet behind her, stood across from Rogue and Sting. For her match, Rette had worn a pair of barely there shorts that had the sides completely replaced with laces and a strapless, crop top. It was easy to move around in and left nothing to get in her way. She wanted to limit any possible limitations for this match.

There was no way she was going to lose this one.

"Without further ado, let the match begin!"

As soon as the gong sounded the start of the match, Rette took a step back, leaning to the side, barely avoiding an attack from Sting that shot right over her left shoulder, bellowing her hair in the after math. While Rette had managed to avoid it...Max wasn't so lucky, taking the shot, head on, and getting knocked off his feet and thrown back into the arena wall. Rette turned to look towards Max, finding that somehow, someway, Max had ended up with his pants around his ankles. The guy seriously needed to get a new belt or something.

"Oh, Max...how disgraceful. At least pull your pants back up." Rette told him, heaving a sigh.

Max's only reply was a groan of pain. Shaking her head, Rette turned back to face Rogue and Sting. Sting was grinning widely, Rogue's expression stern as it always seemed to be. Turning to fully face them, Rette shoved her bangs back from her eyes. So it was going to be two against one, huh? She had a feeling it would end up that way. She just hadn't thought it would be from the very start.

She seriously needed to up Max's training.

"Alright...two verses one. If that's how you want it, then come at me." Rette called out to the two boys facing her.

If they wanted to win this match, they would have to come and hit her with all they had. She wasn't about to let two teenage boys push her around. Spreading her arms, Rette invited them to do their worst. She would say this much...they were openly predictable. Maybe it was just male Dragon Slayers, but when invited to take their shots, Sting and Rogue, just like Natsu, and Gajeel, and even Laxus, came at her head on. Rette heaved a sigh.

When would people learn?

Rette side stepped Rogue, grabbing him by the back of his top. Twisting, and taking him with her, she released his shirt, sending him flying back into Sting. Sting dodged his friend, allowing Rogue to catch himself and slide a few feet. Sting continued charging her, pulling one fist back. Rette dropped, moving up and under his guard. Next thing Sting knew, Rette was right in his face. She pressed two fingers of her left hand into his chest.

"Bang." Rette said idly.

The hit to his chest was hard, the light magic blowing up in his face, almost literally. It sent him flying back, straight into Rogue, who caught him before he could hit the ground. They regrouped and attacked again. If there was one thing Rette had learned to do in the last four years, it was to use her Dragon Slayer magic freely, like Natsu did. She didn't have to preform actual, set spells to use the magic. When the two neared her, Rette stomped one foot down on the ground. Crystals shot out of the ground, spreading out from her.

Rogue and Sting had to pull back to avoid them. But the moment they hesitated, Rette was on them, jumping up and over the crystals. She landed on top of Sting, knocking the air from his lungs before she jumped at Rogue. She shoved one hand into his face, shoving back. She refused to release his face even once she was back on her feet. His voice muffled, Rogue protested, trying to yank her hand from his face. Rette gave him a shake, her nails biting into his skin.

"Oh, calm down. You'll look like a cat scratched up your face if you don't." Rette told him.

Rogue shot her a glare with the one eye that wasn't covered by her fingers. Rette just looked back at him, appearing unfazed and bored with the whole thing.

"Let him go!"

Rette ducked, letting Sting's punch fly right over her head as he attacked her from behind. With as much power as she could, Rette swung an elbow back into his gut, feeling, as well as hearing, his breath leave him in a grunt. Swinging a leg out, she knocked his ankles together. Reaching back, she grabbed him by the hair, yanking him forward until she held both him and Rogue before her. The look she leveled at them then could be described as bored and idle, or as cold and murderous. It would depened on who was looking at her. To Rogue and Sting...it was the latter.

"You two are annoying me. You're obviously not giving this your all. Give me some credit, I'm an S-class mage. If you don't start taking this seriously...I'm going to hurt you." Rette told them.

All this hype for the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth and they were fighting her as if she was nothing more than a warm-up exercise for training. It didn't usually annoy Rette that people didn't take her seriously, but at this rate, if they didn't take it seriously, she would win.

That was a victory she didn't want.

"Don't make me treat you like children." Rette told them.

With her message delivered, she shoved the two away from her, sending them staggering. Sting rubbed at his scalp as Rogue rubbed one cheek. They turned to look at her, but Rette's expression was perfectly even once more. Raising one hand, she beckoned them with two fingers.

Maybe it was male pride, or it was the fact that she had threaten to treat them like children, but the two attacked her with renewed vigor. Rette actually had to get hands-on, fighting off their physical attacks while defending against their magical ones. She was all the more grateful for the training Erza had started with her before her disappearance. If Erza hadn't started the training regiment that Rette now kept to, then there was no doubt in Rette's mind that she wouldn't be able to fend off both Sting's and Rogue's attacks. The two were relentless.

They were strong and just stopping one of their punches, made her hand go temporarily numb from the impact. Then there was Rogue's annoying shadow related magic. Rette had never had to watch her own shadow for an attack before. It made it so difficult to keep track of Rogue since the boy could sink in and out of shadows at will. The moment she turned her attention to Sting, Rogue would vanish into a shadow. The moment she turned her attention to tracking down Rogue, Sting would attack.

Rette was all the more grateful for her ability to sense magic on a level above that of the average mage. If it wasn't for that, Rogue would have landed far more hits to her turned back than what he did. It wasn't easy and Rette knew she really could have used a partner to watch her back, but she didn't have one with Max knocked out, so she was going to have to do with what she had.

But boy were they relentless in their attacks.

It was probably what she got for taunting them.

Rette crossed her arms, catching the punches the two threw at her from opposite sides. The two were stronger than they looked. Rette twisted her hands around, gripping the wrists of the fists they had thrown at her.

"Relentless, aren't you? Well, that's fine. I can be too." Rette said.

Pulling, she uncrossed her arms, yanking their arms until the two slammed face first into each other. Rette darted back, away from them, inwardly amused when she, as well as everyone watching, noticed that when Rette had pulling them into each other...she had unintentionally caused them to kiss. Dying of laughter was a definite possibility as she watched the two yank apart, spitting and sputtering. Rette glanced up at the stands as girls squealed their approval over the accidental kiss between the boys.

"I do believe I've just set some girls' ship sailing." Rette remarked, obviously amused.

Sting and Rogue rubbed the backs of their hands against the mouths, shooting glares her way. What? It wasn't like she had **purposely** caused them to kiss. She was just a victim of coincidence.

A very funny coincidence, but a coincidence nonetheless.

"What? No sense of humor?" Rette asked. "Or is that you don't know what shipping is? It's easy to explain. It's when people pair two people toge-"

"You told us to take this serious!" Rogue spat, cutting her off. "You do the same!"

The expression that came over Rette's face was almost one of pity. Amused, annoying the hell out of Rogue and Sting, pity. Her hands went to her hips and her head tilted to one side.

"Oh, you poor soul...I never take **anything** serious." Rette replied.

Her guild mates knew it was a bald face lie. Rette was just about always serious these days. She had too much responsibility on her shoulders to not be. But apparantly, Rogue and Sting couldn't pick up on that. Annoyed, they charged Rette. Rette raised her arms, protecting her face, but taking the hit. Sting's fist connected solidly with a hit that should have broken her arm. Rogue's equally powerful punch, hit her in the side, right at the ribs. Rette took the hits but didn't budge an inch.

One moment passed with none of them moving, then two...then three. Then...

" **What the hell!?** "

With a roar of pain, both Rogue and Sting yanked back, shaking their hands. They were both pretty sure that instead of breaking Rette's bones, they had just broken at least one bone in their hands. Rette lowered her arms, watching in near amusement. If nothing else, these two boys were funny. When they turned bewildered looks on her, Rette gave her arm a flick of her fingers, letting light play over the layer of skin colored crystal that coated her whole body.

"You two just punched the hardest crystal in the world. Have fun with the possible broken bones." Rette told them.

Rette quickly cast a shield to counter the next attack, but Dragon Slayer magic had always been rather difficult for her to block with a normal shield. The shield shattered and only gave Rette enough time to get out of the way. She glanced back over her shoulder to the very spot she had just been standing. The ground was now cracked and crumbled from the hit. Sting and Rogue surrounding her, each taking one side of her, drew her attention.

"Dragon Slayers through and through, I see. Want in on a little secret that only my guild mates and a few others know?" Rette asked.

She could tell they were curious, but neither said a word to her. She had probably annoyed them into silence. That was fine. Rette would show them the new trick she had perfected. Extra careful since the magic involved was volatile at the best of times, Rette weaved her next spell together. She saw their eyes widen as one of her feet slid back and her arms went out on either side of her.

"Twin Dragon Slayer Secret Arts...Frozen Petal Dance!"

Rette spun tightly, a frozen wind kicking up around her, lashing out to fill the arena, carrying razor sharp shards of crystals in it's freezing currents. It explode upward, carrying Rogue and Sting off their feet and throwing them to opposite ends of the arena field. The cold air from the attack swept out over the crowd, chilling them all before the raging winds died. Rette spun to a stop, letting out a breath that bellowed out in a visible cloud in the lowered temperature of the air around her.

Rogue and Sting had both landed on their backs, their clothes torn and tattered. The two pushed themselves up to look at Rette as she breathed in deeply, rolling her shoulders.

"You're a-"

"A Dragon Slayer. Yeah. Raised by two dragons of differing elements and implanted with matching dragon lacrimas. To put it simply...three can play this game." Rette said, cutting Sting off.

Rette dropped into a crouch then and, with surprising force, she drove her fingers deep into the ground under her. Rogue and Sting could feel the impressive mass of magic she poured into the very ground, surprised that she had so much to give. After all the training she had gone through in the last four years, she had increased her store of magic energy so she could weave more and more Nexus spells together and not be drained so quickly. This next spell, while draining some more of her magic, would replenish more than it drained...at least for her, that was.

"Twin Dragon Slayer Secret Arts...Territory of the Twin Dragons!"

With the casting of the spell, the whole field began to shift and change. Pillars of ice and crystal shot from the ground as the very ground Rette stood on in the center of the field, rose into the air, putting her on a platform of crystal and ice. Two pillars rose on either side of her platform, one of ice, the other of crystal. Upon the top of them, formed figures of dragons, their jaws spread wide open. The rest of the field erupted to life with jagged chunks of ice and crystal alike. The whole field became a "Rette Playground".

To wrap up the spell, Rette, far above Rogue and Stings' heads, threw back her head, opened her mouth, and let out a screech that could rival a dragon's. The eyes of the dragon figures on either side of her, lit up, as if they were accepting her screech as an activation code. Instantly, Rogue and Sting, who had gotten back to their feet and hurried to each other, fell to one knee. It felt like something had just grabbed hold of their magic energy and yanked it from their bodies. Rette looked down at them, still crouched on her perch.

"Suddenly feeling drained, boys?" she called down.

"What did you do!?" Sting asked.

"It's the spell. As the mistress of this territory now, the spell drains the magic of all enemy dragons, or in this case, Dragon Slayers, and uses that energy to replenish my own. You two have basically become a source of energy for me." Rette replied.

With that, Rette held out both hands, beckoning to the two. She wouldn't go full out, one hundred percent, but she would give them a run for their money. There was no way she was letting them take home the win in this match, whether she had a partner or not. And she told them so.

"You won't get me to take you on, full force, but I will give you the thrashing of your lives. You **are not** taking a win from me. **Ever**. Even if it only ends in a draw, I will never concede a victory to Sabertooth." Rette told them.

With that declaration, all three kicked up their fighting pace. Even both coming at her, using the new terrain as a leg up to reach her, Rette, with her newly increased magic power, put them back down, sending the two crashing back down to the ground below. In the new terrain, which was acting like a home field advantage for Rette, the girl moved about like a spider monkey. Where Sting and Rogue slid and slipped on the ice or got cut up by the crystal, Rette bounced from one chunk to the next patch, from pillar to pillar, as if she had been born in such an environment.

She moved with such ease, sliding in a controlled fashion across the ice before running up the crystal, leaving them to slip and get beat up by the landscape. With the landscape now playing to her advantage, Rette's power increased, giving them more and more trouble. To match her, Sting and Rogue increased their attacks.

They all three meet each other, blow for blow, Rette blocking one boy before turning to attack the other. No matter how hard they tried, Rette was just too good at slipping through their grips. Especially with the last spell Rette had laid in place. It did more than just drain their magic and put her in a landscape she knew like the back of her hand. It offered her ice and crystal to freely use as she saw fit.

One flick of a hand and crystal daggers would come flying at them from every angle, one stomp of her foot and ice would rising to try to crush them. Even taking damage from their attacks, she kept coming back, beating them twice as much for the damage she took. The girl obviously had a high pain tolerance and didn't know when to quit, because no matter how hard they hit her, she came right back at them with twice the damage.

Apparently Rette believed in giving twice as bad as she got.

"Damn it! Just give up already!" Sting snapped in annoyance.

"No. I promised that I would not lose and I will not break faith with those who believe in me." Rette retorted.

The next blow was a mix of their three attacks, blowing the three apart from each other. Each of them took damage, a sharp edged rock opening a gash on Rette's forehead over her right eye. Rette, before they could catch their balance, darted towards them, ignoring the blood starting to fall down her forehead from the cut. She reached Rogue first, sweeping his feet out from under him and grabbing him back the back of the neck. When Sting tried to help him, Rette kicked out, landing a solid kick to his lower gut. Sting bent over double and Rette grabbed him in the same manner, holding the two in front of her like they were nothing more than naughty puppies in need of punishment. She stared down at them, meeting their gazes with a steady, determined one.

"Just like I will never stop looking for my missing guild mates, I will never give up in a fight. Fairy Tail never gives up. Not you or anyone else will ever shake me or budge me. I refuse to bend to anyone. I have a promise to keep and you two are in my way. Believe me...it's not somewhere you want to be." Rette told them.

Her grip on their necks tightened and with a pivoting turn and a great heave, she sent the two tumbling away from her. The two caught themselves as a shadow fell over them. Looking up, both took a hit straight to the face as Rette jumped from the top of a jagged boulder of ice. Both reached out, grabbing Rette's ankles. The three went down in a tumble of bodies. Rette, not comfortable with the close quarters, or the hand that unintentionally groped her, aimed a low blow to the groin of the one responsible.

"Hands off the chest!" Rette snapped as Sting let out a cry of pain.

Snapping a foot out, Rette slammed her heel into Rogue's face, stunning the boy as well as giving him a bloody nose. Twisting, Rette broke free of the two and got back to her feet. Sting, in retaliation for the low blow, aimed a Roar her direction. Rette dodged to the side, the blast barely grazing her back. She winced at the pain but was more worried by the damage to her top. She could feel the tearing of the fabric when she moved.

Time had to be nearly up, it just had to be. It felt like she had been fighting these two for hours. Any longer and she ran the risk of losing her top. After the embarrassment of Orga nearly pulling her pants down the day before, she doubted she would be able to live down the embarrassment of losing her top, too.

"Gotcha!"

Rette had been so distracted by her thoughts that she hadn't noticed Sting. He reached for her, but Rette twisted out out the way. Instead of latching onto her, he grabbed her by the back of her top. Crap!

"No! Don't grab that!" Rette snapped.

But, of course, it was too late.

Sting yanked to throw her off balance, but instead of that, Rette felt her top completely rip and come free of her body. Loud cheers and wolf whistles from the males of the crowd sounded as Rette quickly wrapped her arms around her chest. Rette rounded on Sting and Rogue, both of which were red in the face, her glare the iciest they had seen yet.

"What is it with the men in your guild!? First my shorts and now my top!?"

Hearing the cold, detached tone in her voice, Sting and Rogue had a feeling they had just crossed the line to finally make Rette take this serious. Moving faster than she had since the start of the match, Rette jumped them. There were a tumble as she charged right into them. Keeping one arm wrapped around her chest, Rette wrestled with Sting, who ended up laying on top of Rogue's back.

"Hey! Wait! What are you doing!?" Sting demanded as she sat on his stomach.

"Got it!" Rette cheered.

She rolled free of Sting...taking his shirt with her. She basically dived into the too big shirt, gratefully covering herself. Sting got to his feet, shirtless and turned a glare on her as she tied the shirt tail into a knot to make it fit better.

"That's my shirt!" Sting snapped at her.

"Yeah? Well that piece of torn of material in your hand was mine. You owe me." Rette retorted.

Sting's eyes went to the torn top still caught in his grip. Well...she did kind of have a point. And it was better for a guy to be topless than a girl.

"And I owe you this."

Sting looked up in time to take a kick to the face. Rette accented the kick with a curtly stated, "Jerkoff". Okay, so he might have deserved that too. After all...she had tried to tell him not to grab her top. But just because he might have deserved it, didn't mean he was going to take it. Sting and Rogue both returned fire. Their fighting increased in intensity, Rette's annoyance at losing her top, fueling her punches and making her more likely to land low blows.

Rogue and Sting would be lucky to ever have kids by the time she was done with them.

All three were badly beaten and breathing heavily when Chapati called the end of the time limit on the match. Rette had to squeeze one eye close because of the blood spilling down from a cut on her forehead and she was going to have a lot of bruises, but she had managed to keep from being over powered by Sting and Rogue.

"And with the thirty minute time limit up, it's a draw! Rette of Fairy Tail managed to hold off the Twin Dragons to earn her team five points!" Chapati announced.

Cheers in support of Rette, rose from the crowd. Rette heaved a sigh. She had kept her promise. She hadn't won, but she hadn't lost either. As her teammates screamed their pride in Rette, she turned to leave the arena. She glanced towards Sting and Rogue, who were watching her as well. Then her only open eye turned to the balcony where Minerva, Rufus, and Orga stood watching her.

"Told you I wouldn't let them win." Rette called, throwing her chin in the air.

Minerva's eyes narrowed. This Rette girl was getting on her nerves. Rette simply turned on her heel and went to collect Max who was still out of it from the hit he had taken at the start of the match. With some urging, she got him to focus enough to pull his pants up, and then she pulled his arm around her shoulders, wrapped an arm around his waist, and hauled him up and out of the arena. Day Four was called to an end. Tomorrow they would have the day off to rest and prepare for the final day of the Grand Magic Games. Rette felt like she really could use the rest.

The rest of their teammates met them in the hall, expressing their pride in Rette. Rette was glad that they were happy, but she was ready to get bandaged up and go back to her room and change. They made a stop by the medical bay where Rette was bandaged up and Max was checked for no lasting damage and then they headed back to the lodging. Rette instantly went to her room, changing Sting's shirt and her torn shorts for a skirt that had slits that rode up the full length of both of her hips and was nothing more than two pieces of material held together with a belt, and a corset top that still showed part of the scar across her stomach as well as her guild's emblem on her chest.

Once changed, she looked at the shirt in her hands. It needed a wash, but it was still as good as it had been when she had stolen it from Sting. For a few moments, she stared at it, holding it pinched between her forefinger and thumb, twisting her mouth up as she thought. Finally she heaved a sigh.

"Oh, what the hell."

-0-0-0-0-

"I can't believe you lost."

"I didn't lose, Lector. It was a draw."

Sting was annoyed enough with the draw. He didn't need Lector putting in his two jewel worth. When he and Rogue had gotten back to the lodgings after the match, their master had been so angry. This was the second time that the same girl had stopped one of their members from taking the win. While Jiemma was impressed with the strength of this girl from a failure of a guild, he was not happy that she was effectively standing in the way of his guild members. Since it hadn't been a flat out loss, he let Sting and Rogue off, but that didn't change the fact that he was mad.

And then there was Minerva's temper to deal with, too. No one had ever openly challenged and defied Minerva before. Rette did both and with a I-don't-care attitude that made it feel like she was looking down her nose at them. Minerva had been metaphorically foaming at the mouth. She wasn't about to let someone like Rette treat her that way.

For now, Rogue, Sting, their exceed partners, Orga, and Rufus were out in town. With three out of the four of the humans having lost to Rette on some level, it was best they didn't hang around the lodgings. It was best to just let their master, and Minerva, cool down.

"To think such a disinterested, young lady could get the best of, not only Orga, but the two of you, too." Rufus said, a smirk on his face.

"It's not funny!" Rogue snapped at him.

Orga was just as displeased with the fact that Rette had out-smarted him. He didn't like Rufus' remark anymore than Rogue and Sting did.

"I can't believe, taking her on two-to-one, that we couldn't win the match." Sting growled.

"Well, that sounds like a bunch of sour grapes if I ever heard them."

All four males stopped and turned at the sound of the voice. Just behind them, leaning against the side of the building with her arms crossed loosely over her stomach, was Rette. Bandages wrapped around her arms, were plastered over her forehead and one cheek, and even wrapped around the calf of one leg. She had changed clothes and was currently watching them with an idle look on her face.

"You! You've got some nerve showing up in front of us!" Rogue told her.

"Oh, boo-hoo. Like I've said before...it's just a game. I'm trying to earn points for my team, same as you. And you really want to say that to **me** of all people. You ripped my top off in front of a large crowd." Rette retorted. "After **he** nearly pulled my shorts off."

Rette pointed to Orga when she said that. She didn't look too awfully upset anymore, but looks could be deceiving.

"Try wearing undergarments then!" Rogue told her, blushing as he said it.

The look on Rette's face turned to one that looked completely put out. As if she believed he didn't understand her pain.

"Have you ever tried wearing women's undergarments? They're the devil's tools to women's suffering." she replied.

The reasoning didn't make sense to them. If anything it had the four males and the two cats staring at her. Orga's eyes traveled down her body, wondering if that was Rette's opinion all the time, or if she only, sometimes went without wearing them.

"Hey," Rette snapped her fingers, drawing Orga's eyes back up to where she was now pointing to her face. "My eyes are up here, big boy."

Orga gave her a small, half smile. Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she turned her eyes back to Sting as she pulled something out of the bag hanging from one shoulder. She tossed it at Sting.

"Here." she told him.

Sting caught it and unrolled it. To his surprised, he was looking down at the shirt that Rette had stole from him. It was freshly clean and looked as good as it had when he had pulled it on that morning. He turned a questioning look on Rette.

"Just because you ripped my shirt, doesn't mean I should keep your's. Besides...it's not my style." Rette told him, pushing herself away from the wall. "Have a nice day, boys."

With that and an idle wave, she walked away from them. The group watched her leave, Orga's eyes drawn to the natural sway of Rette's hips as she walked. His head tilted to the side as he watched.

"She's strange." Rogue remarked.

"She's interesting." Rufus argued.

"I think she's just weirdly different." Sting said, Lector nodding his agreement.

"I think she's one hell of a woman." Orga added.

His guild mates looked at him in surprise. It was easy to tell, seeing how intently Orga watched Rette as she vanished into the crowd of people on the street, that he liked Rette. But Rette didn't seem fond of him.

"Whatever she is, on the final day, we'll have to take her down or risk her making fools of us." Rogue remarked.

While Rette might not be a bad person, she was one that was standing in their way. She had shown people that even someone from a weak and pitiful guild like what Fairy Tail had become, could stand up to the number one guild in Fiore. It was probably why Minerva wanted to take Rette down above all others.

And as far as they were concerned, if Minerva made Rette a number one target...Rette wouldn't like it.

-0-0-0-0-

The morning of her day off, saw Rette sleeping in for a change. It had been so long since the last time she had gotten to sleep in. Laki, thankfully, left her to her sleep, and it was around noon before Rette ever got up. When she went to look to see if anyone was around, she found that all of her guild mates had taken the chance to tour around the city. Even Bisca and Alzack had taken Asuka out. Rette decided that it wouldn't kill her to go out as well, do some snooping, maybe a little shopping.

She did need a new top.

With that in mind, Rette went out into the city, idly wandering through the crowded streets. She let her attention wander from store to store, stopped to check out a few, bought a few new tops, located a blacksmith that Erza would have loved and bought a new sword, and followed her nose to a food vendor that sold ice cream that was delicious. The city had everything and was so full of things she had never seen or never thought she would see.

She was sitting on the edge of a fountain, enjoying her ice cream, watching people as they passed, as the day ticked on towards the evening. She hadn't seen anyone she knew yet, and was actually a little grateful for that. Sometimes a girl just needed a little time on her own.

"Are you always alone outside of the Games?"

Rette's head whipped around when she heard that voice. There was a small scoop of ice cream on her outstretched tongue from where she had just licked her cone. She quickly withdrew her tongue and swallowed the bite of the creamy treat. Standing a few feet from her, watching her with his usual neutral expression, was Orga.

"I take care of my guild's guild hall. I see every one of our members every day. Sometimes it's nice to just go out alone. Besides...I'm a loner by nature." Rette told him.

She turned back to her ice cream as Orga decided to take a seat on the fountain edge next to her. Rette didn't pay him any attention. She simply crossed her legs, making the bangle anklets she was wearing, jingle together.

"Won't you get in trouble if you're seen with me? Your master doesn't look like the forgiving type and I've already screwed with your guild's image twice." Rette remarked.

"Our master is intrigued by you." Orga replied.

"I don't see why on earth he would be. I'm horribly crude, rude, and socially unacceptable." Rette retorted.

Orga wasn't sure how to take that one. He could see where people got the crude and rude part. Rette pretty much said it how it was, rather it could be considered rude or not. Orga had learned that much in four days.

"I think its more your magical prowess and less your personality, that he's interested in." Orga told her.

"Huh...that always seems to be the case. Pity...I've been told I'm a real hoot when drunk." Rette said idly, leaning back on one hand, nibbling on the waffle cone now that she had emptied it of all ice cream.

Orga glanced over at her. A drunk Rette...so many images popped into his head. Rette giggling like a little girl, Rette being loud and rambunctious, even Rette being clingy or overly emotional. Every single image was more hilarious than the last. Her guild mates probably got the laughs of their lives, watching her while she was drunk.

"Be fun to see." Orga remarked.

Rette shrugged her shoulders. Everyone seemed to think it was fun to see. Rette...not so much.

"How about we go get a drink?" Orga offered.

Rette turned her eyes to him then. Was it her, or did that sound like he was asking her out? She knew Laxus had a habit of asking her out whenever he came across her. But this? They weren't even in the same guild. Nor were Cherie and Ren and those two made it work. Didn't mean Rette wanted to try.

"Excuse me, but that sounded like you were asking me out." Rette said.

"I was."

Orga watched as, with a resounding crunch, Rette chomped down hard on the last bit of her cone. She swallowed, her eyes intently set on his face. Hands now empty, Rette got to her feet. Orga did the same, looking down at her.

"Sorry, big boy, but I already have an electric eye catcher in my life." she told him, turning him down.

She turned around to walk away but Orga was now curious.

"Electric eye catcher?" he called out.

Rette half turned to look at him over her shoulder. She clasped her hands behind her back as she tilted her head back, eyeing him from under the fringe of silver bangs.

"Yeah. He's a lightning Dragon Slayer. He really knows how to **hold** my attention. He also wouldn't be too happy to find someone else over stepping their boundaries. But who knows...you might be able to one-up him. Until such a time, I'm gonna have to pass on the drink. See you tomorrow, big boy." she told him, giving him an idle wave as she turned and walked away.

Okay, so maybe the mere thought that she might, **might** , be in love with Laxus, had instantly sent her into a fit of denial, because there was no way in hell she could love anyone, let alone such an annoying pain in her side, but she didn't need to let Orga know that. At the moment, since he wasn't around to deny that she liked him, let alone was dating him, Laxus made a good excuse to turn down Orga's advances. Even if she was willing to date, let alone date someone from a different, opposing guild, if she was being honest...Rette kind of felt a little guilty at the mere thought.

Laxus would be so hurt and pissed if she did.

And that mere thought had her questioning herself on just why she cared in the first place. It wasn't like she was really dating the guy, or that she **loved** him. No, that couldn't be it. She just didn't want to deal with the annoyance he would cause if he found out she had agreed to go on a date with someone else when she had turned him down.

Rette caught herself in the mist of these thoughts and inwardly cursed herself. Now she was going to be stuck thinking about Laxus and his cocky grin for the rest of the day. Next time she saw him, she was going to punch him for being gone so long. For now, her good mood was ruined. To try to make it better, Rette decided to find the nearest candy shop and stock up on dark chocolate. She would probably regret the extra weight later on, but oh well.

Rette found the candy shop and went back to the lodgings with a large bag of chocolate hooked over one arm. When she entered the building, she passed her teammates and a few other members of her guild, still kind of in a bad mood.

"Is something wrong, Rette? You look like you're in a bad mood." Bisca remarked.

"I am." Rette replied.

"Why?" Max asked, as she passed them, heading for the stairs.

"I got asked out, that's why." Rette retorted sharply.

Muttering under her breath, Rette disappeared up the stairs to her room. Her friends looked at each other, confused. None of them saw what was really bad about that, but then again, it was Rette and the girl was confusing at the best of times. But it was still amusing, as well.

Only Rette could make getting asked out into a bad thing.

END

Kyandi: You're so dense.

Rette: Shut up. I don't need to hear that from **you** of all people.

Kyandi: I'm not dense. I only pretend to be to mess with people.

Rette: Lovely.

Kyandi: I know, right!

Rette: I don't even know what to do about you anymore.

Kyandi: Then just be like everyone else and stop trying.

Rette: Sounds good.

Kyandi: Anyway, everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll be back soon.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	9. Fury of Andras

Kyandi: I'm back, everyone!

Rette: And we bring you a new chapter.

Kyandi: I have to say...I love writing Rette when she's angry. So befitting of someone who can use Satan Soul.

Rette: You know, you're going to keep up with the hints and are going to give away more than you mean to.

Kyandi: You have a point. Anyway, how about we just jump right in?

Rette: Sounds good to me.

Kyandi: Alright then. Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 9 Fury of Andras

"At last! At last it's here! The last day of the Grand Magic Games! No matter whether you're happy or sad, today the winning guild will be decided!"

Fireworks exploded in the sky, raining sparks of multiple colors down on the cheering crowd below. Balloons of various colors, floated into the sky and people called out cheers for their favorite guild. Signs declared loyalties, confetti rained from the sky, and anticipation made the air heavy. Today's final event would be a team event in which all five members of each team would take part. Rette stood in the center of a line of her and her teammates with Max and Alzack to her left and Laki and Jet to her right. Adjusting her gloves, she focused on centering herself.

After being announced in the arena of the Domus Flau, all eight teams were scattered throughout the whole city of Crocus. Rette and her teammates waited, still able to hear the projected voice of Chapati from where they stood.

"The battlefield will be the whole town of Crocus! The members of each guild are already scattered. This year's final event is...Capture the Emblem. Each team has a flag baring their guild's emblem. You can either set up a home base to defend the flag or carry it with you as you run about the city. When you meet an enemy, a fight for the other's flag will start. There are various way to earn points in this game. If you capture your enemy's flag, it will earn your team five points. Keep your own and you will earn four points. Each team will select a leader and the other teams will not know who your leader is. If you take out an enemy leader, it will earn you two points. Take out any other member of another team and you will earn one point. You have one hour in which you must defend yourself, your teammates, and your emblem. With a max amount of seventy-five possible points to be gained, anyone can win. Who will get the top of the glory!? Grand Magic Games...starts!"

A loud gong sounded out over the city, the sound echoing to the far stretches of the town's edges. Rette, who had been standing with her eyes closed, focusing and preparing, opened her eyes, giving her gloves one last tug.

"Rette?" Max asked, their flag in his hand.

Rette turned to him then, snagging hold of the flag and pulling it from his hands. Her teammates asked what she was doing, but Rette simply removed the flag from it's pole. Looping it around behind her, the Fairy Tail emblem fluttering out on the gold fabric, Rette tied the flag tightly around her waist, securing it with a double knot. With it secure about her waist, she turned to her teammates.

"No matter what else might happen, I'm **not** letting anyone have our emblem. They made a mistake making the flag our guild's emblem. I refuse to let that be taken by someone not in our guild." Rette said firmly.

Her guild mates grinned back at her. In a game like this, Rette's possessive nature would be their saving grace. The emblem for their guild was the symbol of their family. Rette would be damned if she let someone not in the guild take that symbol. That meant she would fight twice as hard as she normally did and, even if she was the last one of them standing, she would make it to the end of the hour without letting their emblem go.

"You have to be the leader, Rette. If none of the rest of us make it the whole hour, you will." Max said.

Rette nodded. She knew they were right. She had the best evasive skills out of all them. She had a knack for avoiding capture. That would at least give them four points for their emblem being safe and sound. Rette idly let one hand run over the flag around her waist. She had a feeling that Sabertooth was going to be gunning for them. Or at least...her. Minerva hadn't seemed to happy with Rette showing that she could stand on level with two of her fellow elite guild mates.

"What do we do from here?" Alzack asked.

"Let me get a feel for where the other teams are and how their moving and then we'll plan." Rette told them.

They kept a look out while Rette set about tracking the other teams. All of the teams were sticking together to protect their flags. The stronger teams, like Mermaid Heel and Lamia Scale, were staying still. Sabertooth was on the move, confidentally moving through the center of town. Medusa Skull and Twilight Ogre were hiding out on the edges of town, slinking through the shadows. Blue Pegasus and Quatro Cerberus were being careful on how they moved, but they weren't staying stationary.

Rette reported back to her teammates what she had found and started pacing as she thought. What would be the best way to go about this? While she had no doubt that she and her team could steal the flags of the three weaker teams-Medusa Skull, Twiilight Ogre, and Quatro Cerberus-the stronger teams would be a big problem. Sabertooth at the forefront. Not that winning had ever been her goal. Her goal had simply been to make sure that her guild didn't come in dead last again. With Medusa Skull sitting at only two points and with no possible chance to gain enough points to fly past Fairy Tail, at least not with the stronger guilds around, she didn't think she had to worry about that.

As long as they got some points, she would be perfectly happy.

That, and avoid getting too injured.

"For now, let's move. I don't want to be caught in the same spot." Rette told her teammates.

The five of them surged into motion, Rette leading the way. It really did come in handy to have her sense of tracking magic. Rette liked to believe that it put her at a slight advantage, and any advantage was a good advantage. Far off to their left, Rette could feel a clash between Sabertooth and Quatro Cerberus. Whoever said dogs were better than cats, hadn't tried to pit a three headed dog from the underworld against a tiger with saber fangs, because in this case...the cat won. One member of Quatro Cerberus escaped the confrontation and Rette felt Sabertooth move on.

"If we run into other teams, only take out those in our way. If we let the other teams wear each other out, it'll make it easier for us." Rette told her teammates.

They all four called back their agreement. They would stick together, act as one unit, and watch each other's backs. So when the Blue Pegasus team moved into their direct path, Rette called a warning to her teammates. When the team came into view, Rette and Max plowed right through the middle of their group, Rette taking down Eve and Max taking down Ren. They hurried past before Hibiki and his remaining two teammates could react.

"Sorry Eve!" Rette called back over her shoulder.

Out of Hibiki, Ren, and Eve, Rette actually really liked Eve. In a little brother kind of way. It was only when he was around Ren and Hibiki that Eve started flirting and became an annoyance to Rette. Generally though, he wasn't a bad kid. Rette only hoped she hadn't hit him too hard.

"That's two points to us, because I highly doubt that Ren or Eve was their leader." Rette remarked.

"What do we do if we run into Sabertooth? You and that woman on their team have been glaring daggers at each other since the fourth day of the tournament." Max remarked.

"Let's just say that when it came to this tournament and what winning means...we don't exactly see eye-to-eye." Rette told him.

"Did you get into a fight with her!?" Jet asked.

"I do believe in the event that she and I were to clash outside the Games, you would have heard about it. So, no, I didn't not fight with her. Not physically, at least. Hissing and spitting may have occurred, though." Rette said.

The last comment made all four of her teammates groan. It had never crossed their minds that Rette, as the most calm and indifferent of them, would actually get into an argument with the main fighter of another team. Rette ignored the groans. She had never been one to hold back on saying what she thought about something. Minerva poked her like a thorn caught in her shoe...always stabbing with every step she took. It was positively annoying in a way that Rette couldn't even begin to describe.

They continued on their path, running into both Twilight Ogre and Medusa Skull. Rette took out Twilight Ogre's leader and Laki took down a member of Medusa Skull, clearing their way and giving them another three points. Rette picked up the pace when she sensed the Sabertooth team closing in on their tail.

"Rette, why are you going so fast!?" Max asked.

"I was right." Rette replied.

"About what?" Laki asked.

"They're coming after us." Rette answered.

"Who? Sabertooth!?" Jet asked.

"Apparently they can't stand the fact that we've messed them up twice. They're probably going to try to take us out before we can cause anymore problems." Rette retorted.

"Us? Rette, while it's kind of you to include us, we all know that every near defeat or defeat we've had over them, has been all you." Alzack told her.

"It's a team effort." Rette insisted.

Alzack and Max shared a look. They had been teamed up with Rette enough times to know that arguing with her was a waste of breath. Alzack turned back to Rette and opened his mouth to make another comment, but suddenly, Rette swung around on her heel and surged towards them.

"Take cover!" Rette urged, basically throwing herself over them.

She cast her shielding spell just in time to take the lightning based attack that came raining down on their heads. The crystallized light that formed the shield, took the attack, dispersing it to either side and saving all five of them from harm. Though, in the process, Rette ended up knocking over all four of her teammates and ended up on the top of a pile of bodies.

"While I'm thankful for the save...did you have to jump us?" Max asked.

"Yes." was Rette's simple reply.

The girl was on her hands and knees on Max's back, Max laying on top of Jet and Alzack. Only Laki seemed to have escaped the pile of bodies. Max tried to get Rette to move off his back so that he could get off Alzack and Jet, but Rette was on high alert and wasn't paying him any heed.

"I told you that she'd defend against it."

All of Rette's teammates followed her eyes to where the Sabertooth team stood about fifteen yards down the street from them, Minerva at the head of the group. Orga had been the one to speak and he was currently scratching at the back of his head as he looked at Rette.

"That magical sense of your's is rather irksome." Minerva told Rette.

"Gee, I was just thinking the same about that face of your's." Rette retorted.

Rette's teammates stared at Rette, wide eyed. Rette had never been the one to take part in a cat fight, so seeing her exchange one burn for another with Minerva was both humorous and frightening at the same time. Why couldn't Rette wait to do something like that until they were safely out of the way?

Rette chose the most dangerous people to get into a hissing contest with.

Laki squeaked in surprise, diving behind Rette and the rest of her teammates, just as Rette cast another shield to defend against an attack that came from Sting this time. Rette's face, as the shield crumbled away, was bland and, if they looked really, really, **really** close, they could swear they saw a tick mark appear in her left temple.

"I understand loyalty to a teammate, but seriously? Attacking someone because of a mild insult? You'd think you were her lap dog, kept on a tight leash." Rette remarked.

" **Rette!** "

Her teammates were sure she was going to get them killed. Rette suddenly leapt from spot. Her left hand moved quickly.

"Light of Creation...Blinding Abyss."

Her teammates were smart enough to already have their faces covered. They had learned a long time ago that when they saw her left hand move, or heard "Light of Creation", they better cover their eyes and get the hell out of her way. Those spells were nothing to make light of. No pun intended. The Sabertooth team wasn't so lucky.

"My eyes!" Sting yelled, rubbing at them.

"Too bright!" Rogue added.

Rette grabbed hold of Max's and Alzack's arms, hauling them to their feet. She pressed a finger to her lips and ushered them ahead of her while she yanked Jet up. Max took hold of Laki's elbow, pulling her after him as they started to run, Rette bringing up the rear.

"Not so fast!"

Rette dodged to the side, avoiding Sting. She had figured this would happen. As a Dragon Slayer, herself, she knew how strong a Dragon Slayer's nose could be. Natsu, himself, had been like a blood hound. While her Blinding Abyss spell deprived them of their sight, it did nothing to rid a Dragon Slayer of their sense of smell. Even without their sight, Sting and Rogue would be able to track her and her teammates. But she had been through this before with Laxus.

Sting sniffed the air, catching a whiff of Rette's scent which was heavy with the scent of lavender. He turned towards her, diving for her. Rette took advantage of his blindness and kicked a foot out. Sting ended up diving, face first, into her foot, receiving a face full of heel.

"Rette!" Laki called.

"Keep going! I'm the hardest to catch." Rette called.

While her teammates retreated, Rette punched a fist into the ground in front of her. A wall of crystal shot up from the ground, causing a blinded Rogue and Sting to crash into it. With some time bought, Rette turned and hurried after her teammates, her flag fluttering around her waist as she ran. She caught up with her teammates quickly.

"They're going to keep coming after us until they wipe us out, aren't they?" Jet asked.

"More than likely." Rette replied.

"Why'd you have to go and drag us into your cat fight!?" Max asked.

Rette looked down at herself and, in a sarcastic manner, started patting herself down. She even reached back to pat her tail bone and reached up to pat the top and sides of her head.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was a cat." Rette replied.

"You know what I meant, Rette!" Max told her.

"Do I?" Rette questioned.

"Yes!"

This came as a unified reply from all four of her teammates. Rette simply shrugged her shoulders. No, she didn't have to anger Minerva, but she wasn't the type to just take something either. If that meant challenging the other woman to hissing contest, well...Rette could hiss pretty well. It was only because of the timing that her guild mates had gotten dragged into it. Instead of replying to Max, though, Rette turned to look over her shoulder. She couldn't see them, but she knew the Sabertooth team was following them. The strange part was that Minerva's magical energy felt like it was right next to Rette, yet when Rette looked around, she couldn't see her.

What kind of magic could that b...spacial magic!

"Hit the ground!" Rette called.

Her teammates instantly followed her orders. Instead of hitting Laki, who had been directly to Rette's right, the incoming attack hit Rette right across the face, knocking her to the side. Rette hit the ground, her left shoulder connecting with the road first. Rette hissed lowly as pain spread from her shoulder, into her arm, but she wasn't about to let it burden her. Rette rolled right back to her feet. What she saw when she came to her feet, made her blood run cold.

Minerva stood before Rette...her hand wrapped around Laki's throat.

Rette's whole body tensed up, her metaphorical hackles rising as a low growl rumbled in her throat. Jet was crouched just behind and to the left of Minerva, while Alzack and Max were to her right. Minerva was surrounded by them, but she knew they wouldn't do anything as long as she had Laki tight in her grip. All three males looked to Rette for orders. Rette held up a hand, silently telling them to hold their places.

"That's right. Don't want to rush in, do you? That just might be the most intelligent thing you've done since I've met you." Minerva taunted.

Oh, Rette really wanted to wipe the pavement with Minerva's smug smirk.

"Let her go, Minerva." Rette told her.

"Now why would I do that? She's worth a point and apparently, to you, she's worth a lot more than that. No, I think I'll hang onto her." Minerva said.

Laki gasped in pain and struggled when Minerva tightened her grip on her. Rette tensed further, her growling grew louder. Her teammates could almost feel her fury rolling off her in waves. Minerva could feel it too and it only made her smirk grow even more.

"I'll make you a deal. Give me your flag and I'll give her back with only slight bruising." Minerva told her.

Rette's eyes dropped to the flag tied around her waist and then came back up to look at Minerva. Laki looked over her shoulder at Rette, her eyes wide and pleading. Rette wanted to help her friend, but she didn't want to hand over the very sign of their guild, either. The males of Rette's team knew that Minerva had just made a fatal mistake. Asking Rette...no demanding that Rette choose between the symbol of the first real home she had ever really had and one of her precious guild mates, was the quickest way to light Rette's fuse. When Rette locked a look completely devoid of anything on Minerva, Max, Jet, and Alzack scrambled back away from her, seeking cover.

Rette had a temper no one should ever confront.

Getting to her feet, Rette locked eyes with Laki, silently promising to help her. Rette took a step forward, her hands going to the flag tied around her waist.

"Stop right there." Minerva told her, holding up a hand. "Take the flag off and give it to Rufus."

Rufus stepped up to Rette's right, waiting for her to remove the flag. Rette eyed him, her hands not moving in the least. It was easy to tell that her brain was working over time to try to come up with some plan to keep their flag and save Laki.

"I would be careful if I was you. You wouldn't want another teammate to be hurt, would you?" Minerva asked.

Rette froze, her eyes quickly turning to Minerva. She hadn't missed Minerva's wording in that sentence. An ill feeling filled Rette's stomach, making it turn and causing bile to rise in her throat.

" **Another**?" Rette repeated, biting out the word.

Her grip tightened on the flag. Minerva's smirk was a mix of smug and sadistic delight. Her eyes turned and Rette turned to follow her gaze. Orga, Sting, and Rogue came forward and dumped Max, Alzack, and Jet on the ground. All three were unconscious and beat up. Rette felt like her heart stopped. When could they have done that!? Rette swore she had only taken her eyes off her teammates for just a moment.

"That's three more points for us, because we all know you're their leader. After all...you're the only one in your pathetic guild who is not a complete waste of magic. Now the question is, are you going to give us the flag or am I going to have to hurt her as well as you?" Minerva asked, nodding towards Laki.

Rette was trembling.

Her anger was mounting into full blown fury. Her grip on the flag was so tight, her knuckles had bleached white. She had frozen in her anger, her eyes sat on her three fallen teammates. Minerva grinned, believing she had effectively cornered Rette. She failed to notice the mounting, dark aura that started to taint Rette's magic. Standing close to her, Rufus noticed the narrowing of Rette's pupils until they were no more than vertical lines drawn among a field of magenta-lavender.

"The flag. Now." Minerva demanded.

Rette didn't respond, her eyes fixed completely on the unconscious forms of her teammates. Her trembling had become even more noticeable and Rette's vision narrowed, taking on the tunneled vision she got when her anger rose high enough. Minerva mistook the shaking as a sign of Rette's fear of her and she mistook Rette's silence as her refusal to hand over the flag.

Both of which, worked for her.

"Very well." Minerva said.

She released Laki, but before Laki's feet could touch the ground, Minerva planted a fist in her gut. Laki's cry of pain had Rette's head whipping around, her shaking stopping as her body snapped as taunt as a wire pulled far too far. Laki bent double with a gasp of pain, giving Minerva the perfect shot to slam a knee into Laki's face. Laki crumbled to the ground, her glasses falling to the pavement, shattered. Rette's wide eyes fell to Laki's prone figure, but still she didn't move.

Laki was done and out, but Minerva couldn't leave well enough alone and decided to add insult to injury. She literally kicked Laki while she was down. Seeing this, Rette's anger rose that last little bit to make her control completely snap. It was like her whole body went numb, her rational thought flying out the window. Minerva had crossed a line that was clearly drawn in the sand and now...now she was going to pay the price.

No one messed with anything, or anyone, Rette claimed as hers.

Minerva turned to taunt Rette again and froze, her eyes widening when all she saw was Rette's incoming fist right before it connected with her face. The punch had enough power behind it, Rette's magic adding an extra push, that it sent Minerva flying back off her feet. Minerva crashed into a building and smashed clear through the wall, brick crumbling around her. Shocked at the sudden attack and the speed at which Rette delivered it, Minerva's teammates stared at Rette in shock.

They could almost see the dark aura around Rette, it was so thick about her. Rette dropped next to Laki, handling the other girl with care despite the blinding rage that was brewing under her skin. She checked Laki, noticing briefly that Laki had several cuts on her face from when her glasses had shattered. It didn't look like any of the glass had gotten into Laki's eyes, though. Relief flashed through Rette, but with that relief, came more anger.

How dare Minerva harm Laki. How dare she kick another when they were already down. Did she have no honor at all? Even Rette wouldn't kick a person when they were down. But she might make an exception for Minerva. She might tap dance on Minerva's face for the insult and injury she had dealt to Rette's precious teammates.

Rette braced her hands on the ground, trying to rein in her anger so she wouldn't be tempted to kill Minerva, but it wasn't working. The moment she saw Minerva drag herself from the crumpled remains of the wall she had flown through, Rette's anger swamped out any common sense. A primal growl sounded from Rette as she fixed her eyes on Minerva.

That tiny voice in her head that always seemed to scream in her head at times like this, when her anger was high, started chanting into Rette's inner ear, "Kill, kill, kill".

In this case...Rette was happy to entertain the voice.

Sting and Orga surged forward to try to stop Rette, but the girl moved faster than they could, lunging at Minerva like a wild animal with the intent to kill. Just as Minerva had done to Laki, Rette's next punch hit her in the gut, making Minerva bend double. Rette instantly linked her hands and drove them down on the back of Minerva's head, sending her crashing to the ground. Before Rette could even think about kicking her while she was down, Sting rushed her. Rette darted back away from him, jumping the short distance to the top of a low roof.

Orga and Rufus struck her, then, at the same time, their combined attacks driving Rette through the roof and sending the whole building crashing down on top of her. Sting helped Minerva back to her feet. Minerva threw the downed building a glare.

"She should have just ran away." Minerva remarked.

"Now we have to dig through there and get her flag." Orga said.

A low rumble made all five of them look towards the building. The rubble started to shake, the rumble growing until the rubble exploded outward, a long, blue scaled tail that forked into two, spade tipped ends, curled up out of the rubble. More rubble flew off to the sides as two sets of wings burst free, the shoulders they were attached to, following them out of the rubble. The wings were large, both feathered with a mix of light blue and dark blue feathers where they sprouted from the shoulders before turning into a sheer, see-through, blue membrane spread over skeletal frames from which sprouted black crystal spikes.

Rette forced the rest of herself free of the rubble. Feathers, like those on her wings, sprouted from her wrists, around which hung shackles and chains. Those feathers faded into blue scales on the back of her hands and turned into black crystal claws on her fingers. More feathers fanned out from her forearms almost as if her arms were caught half way through a transformation into wings.

The chains from the shackles wrapped up her arms and connected to armor-like, black crystal that wrapped around her biceps. Her clothes had been switched for a pair of panty-like bottoms that barely covered what need to be covered, and a strapless, cropped off top that barely cupped her breasts. From the top, hung a long, flowing cape, all in a mix of different shades of blue. Black crystal covered the outsides of her thighs and curled over her hips, cracks racing through the crystal.

Chains wrapped around her waist like belts and wrapped down the length of her legs to shackles around her ankles. Feather sprouted from her ankles just like from her wrists and her feet had been transformed into clawed feet. Rette's short hair was sleeked back from her face, two sets of horns, one longer than the other, curling from her temple. Her hair spiked away from the back of her head and the skin around her eyes had been dyed dark blue, almost as if she was wearing a mask over her eyes. Two, thin, skeletal finger-like rows of black crystal curled over each of her cheeks and her ears had elongated and were now pointed. More of the skeletal finger-like rows of black crystal curled over her shoulders. It looked like a skeleton made of black crystal had grabbed her by both shoulders.

Pair that with the dead, murderous look in her eyes and the mere sight of Rette would scare a normal person into running for their lives. The flag was still tied around her waist and when her eyes landed on Minerva, the tails lashed to one side, ripping through a wall with ease. Rette, during a mission about a year ago, had run into a demon that called itself Andras. It was a demon of discord and disputes, that gave advice on how to kill. Rette had thought it ironic considering the little voice that spoke into her inner ear when her rage got the best of her. So this form was her Satan Crystallite: Andras.

She hadn't used it in an actual fight, but she thought this was the right time. Minerva was about to find out just how much of a demon Rette could be.

"Do you think that form scares me?" Minerva asked, laughing at her.

Oh, it would.

She had crossed a line that shouldn't be crossed, had needlessly hurt one of Rette's precious guild mates, and she was going to regret having met Rette. Rette would make sure of it. Leaning forward, Rette rocketed from her perch, slamming a clawed foot into Orga while her tail whipped out to knock Rufus and Rogue off their feet. The three went tumbling away from Minerva and a well placed punch, knocked Sting back onto his back. Rette turned to face Minvera and took a hard hit to the face. She stumbled back a few steps but was not going to be taken down.

She and Minerva clashed, trading blows. Now and then, her teammates would jump in, trying to take Rette off guard, but they swore...Rette's twin tails had eyes and minds of their own. With the dark aura and the new form, Rette's power seemed to explode, making her one hell of a fight. She was slippery enough, fast enough, and had enough power that she evaded them easily and landed attacks as strong as the ones they landed on her. But no matter how hard they hit her, Rette refused to go down. Their fight progressed across the city, buildings falling and crumbling beneath their attacks.

Along the way, they crashed through a fight between Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus. Rette ended up taking down Toby from Lamia Scale in one of her attacks while Orga accidentally took out Ichiya from Blue Pegasus. Jura, seeing that Rette had completely lost her control on all rational thought, grabbed Cherie and ushered the rest of his team away from the site. The remaining members of Blue Pegasus took off as well, refusing to be caught in this fight.

Rette didn't even notice them, her gaze sat solely on Minerva. Minerva was surprised how extraordinarily tunnel visioned Rette became when her temper was lit. This demon that Rette had become was so strong and so slippery that it was taking all five of them attacking at once to try to pin her down. When Minerva had heard that Fairy Tail's Nexus Mage was good with evasion tactics, she hadn't imagine that it was on this level. Even with Rogue, Sting, and Orga all three coming at her at once, Minerva and Rufus covering for them, Rette managed to slip out of their way and come after Minerva once more.

And there lay the next thing Minerva noticed. Rette only attacked Minerva's teammates when they got in her way. Instead, she hounded Minerva's every step, coming after her again and again. Rette was intent on dealing Minerva as much damage as she could. The sense of vengeance in Rette was so strong that it was driving the girl deeper into a murderous rage. Minerva knew she might have bitten off more than she could chew when Rette fended of the attacks of her four teammates, for about the hundredth time, and came after her again, as if her energy was no where near empty. Minerva's though, was starting to dwindle.

Rette didn't give her time to cast any large scale spells, moving from defense to offense with record speed. It was frustrating that, together, they couldn't finish her quickly, but no matter how hard they hit her...she refused to stay down! Rette obviously didn't know the meaning of giving up.

Minerva blocked Rette's next attack only to be taken off guard when her tail came up. It whipped her hard across the stomach, the razor sharp crystal on the end opening a gash in the front of her clothes. Rette dropped into a crouch, avoiding a Roar from Sting before rounding on him. Her jaws spread, delivering a blue colored, breath attack of her own. Sting darted to the side, letting the attack rip through a building instead of him.

They were all beaten up, the same as Rette. Yet Rette was acting like she couldn't feel the damage in the least. Even when Sting was sure he had broken a few ribs with one attack. They had all tried to talk sense into Rette, had tried to get her to give them the flag still around her waist, but it was like Rette no long had ears to hear. Sting bent double, bracing his hands on this knees. Rogue, Rufus, and Orga were all in similar positions, all four of them trying to catch their breathes. Rette sat in the middle of a ring they had created around her, her eyes for Minerva alone as her tail lashed back and forth like that of a cat with it's eyes set on it's prey.

Then Rette's head suddenly tilted to one side, one elongated ear twitching. Her tail froze. That couldn't be a good sign. The four males tensed up, waiting for her next move, unaware that she had already made it. When Rette suddenly shot towards Minerva again, they tried to move to intercept her only to find...that their feet had been glued in place by crystal around their legs. All four stared at the crystal in shock. None of them had even felt or sensed the crystal working it's way up their legs. Without the four to jump in her way, Rette hit Minvera full bodily, and the two went down in a tangle of limbs.

Rette came out on top with a cry of victory. One of her clawed hands wrapped around Minerva's throat, pinning her to the ground. Minerva could tell by the wild look in Rette's eyes that vengeance was all that was on her mind and she wouldn't stop herself until it had been achieved. And achieve it she was about to. Rette raised her free hand over her head, razor sharp, crystal claws shining in the light of the sun. Her fingers curled, those claws aiming for Minerva's chest.

As her claws came swinging down towards Minerva's chest, Minerva was sure that Rette intended on killing her. Just a half second before Rette's claws would have ripped into her chest, a loud gong sounded over the city, calling an end to the hour they had been allotted for the event. Rette froze, as if that sound had finally broken through the block on her ears. As if it took great effort on Rette's behalf, Rette's breathing left her in pants. As she fought to slow it down, the dark aura receded and she released her spell, her form slowly returning to normal until a beaten and battered Rette sat on top of Minerva.

The two women locked eyes, Rette's narrowing slightly. It was over. They both knew it. Rette snapped her teeth together with a audible click before shoving herself to her feet. She turned on her heel and hurried away from Minerva, her flag trailing out behind her. Dragon-like wings of light spread from her shoulders and with a small kick-off, Rette shot into the air, rocketing off towards the arena where her fallen teammates would have been gathered.

Minerva pushed herself up, watching Rette's figure vanish into the distance. One of her hands went up to rub at her throat. She had no doubt in her mind that if that gong hadn't sounded...Rette would have tried to kill her.

How fierce did Rette's need to avenge her comrades have to be to drive her to that level of violence? It was almost as if something had completely taken over Rette, driving her to do something she wouldn't do otherwise. Minerva was sure her father would agree with her on this, but she couldn't help thinking that perhaps Rette would be perfect for Sabertooth.

Rette would have disagreed. She hurried back to the arena. She was the only one from her team present in the arena as they announced the final standings. Sabertooth, of course, came out on top in the game. Having taken down all but the leader of Quatro Cerberus and claiming their emblem, as well as taking down Ichiya, two members of Twilight Ogre, and Rette's teammates, they had gathered a total of seventeen points. Add in their own emblem and it was twenty-one.

Lamia Scale had kept their own emblem and had taken down three members of Mermaid Heel, giving them seven points. Mermaid Heel only had the four points from their own emblem. Blue Pegasus did a great job, managing to keep their emblem, gain Twilight Ogre's emblem as well as taking out two of their members and three members of Medusa Skull. They earned a total of fourteen points. Quatro Cerberus ended up with Medusa Skulls' emblem and had taken down their leader, giving them seven points. Rette and Fairy Tail, had held onto their emblem, and had taken down Twilight Ogre's leader, a member of Medusa Skull, Toby, and Ren and Eve, giving Fairy Tail a total of ten points. Both Twilight Ogre and Medusa Skull had been completely wiped out and had earned zero points.

The final day of the Grand Magic Games ended with Sabertooth as the winners with ninety-four points, Lamia Scale in second with seventy-three, Mermaid Heel in third with sixty-three, Blue Pegasus in fourth with fifty-three, Fairy Tail in fifth with forty-four, Quartro Cerberus in sixth with thirteen, Twilight Ogre in seventh with twelve, and Medusa Skull in last with a pitiful two points. While Rette was still angry about what had happened with Sabertooth, she was glad that they had, at least, managed to beat the jerks from Twilight Ogre.

As soon as the rewards were done, Rette instantly rushed to the medical bay where her four teammates were gathered along with the other members of her their guild. The moment she burst into the room, all of them turned their eyes on her, a few of them hissing when they saw the beat up mess Rette had become. Rette's face was bruised and cut and there was blood trickling from somewhere under her hair on the right side of her head. The exposed skin of her stomach was black and blue and there were small electrical burns littered across her skin.

But Rette didn't notice any of it.

She took one look at her teammates and rushed to Laki, who was the worst injured and dropped to her knees in front of Laki, dropping her head into Laki's lap.

"I'm sorry." Rette told her.

Shocked, Laki looked down at the top of Rette's head. She looked at her teammates but each of them were just as shocked. Rette rarely apologized if she didn't absolutely have to, but when she did, there was a clear reason why. They couldn't even began to understand why she was apologizing now. Laki laid a hand on Rette's head, gently stroking her hair.

"What are you apologizing for?" she asked.

"I let you get hurt. I promised, when the others vanished, to protect the rest of you and I let all four of you get hurt. I'm sorry." Rette replied.

Smiles curled their lips. Rette didn't even notice that she was hurt worse than all of them. They had watched the lacrima screens, had watched Rette fight hard to avenge them, as if a demon possessed her, to return the pain to Sabertooth that they had given them. They were pretty sure that where Rette thought she had failed to protect them, none of them could see it as a failure. Laki gently stroked Rette's head.

"Rette...while we appreciate the sentiment, we're all grown-ups. We can take care of ourselves. That you felt the need to protect us, to avenge us, is enough. And you protected our flag." Max told her.

"And, in case you haven't notice...you're the worst among us when it comes to injuries." Jet added.

Rette shook her head, rubbing her face into Laki's knees. She refused to accept their words. She had promised to protect them and they had gotten hurt. In her mind it was unforgiveable. Laki leaned forward, laying her cheek on top of Rette's head.

"It's our own faults that we were caught and taken down so easily." Laki said.

She pulled back when Rette's head snapped up. Rette's eyes were wide as she looked at Laki. She was already shaking her head, refusing to believe that for a moment.

"She's right. Compared to you, the rest of us are just pitiful." Jet remarked.

Rette's head whipped around to look at him as he hung his head. Max and Alzack agreed, their own heads hung and their shoulders sagged.

"We all are, really." Wakaba agreed.

Rette stared at him, her eyes widening. The others all chimed in with their agreement on the comment. They all felt that they were pitiful compared to her.

"We're only dragging you down." Alzack remarked.

"Perhaps it would be best if you joined a different guild. A stronger one." Macao said.

Rette couldn't believe her ears. She knew they just had her best interest in mind, but...how could they even suggest she leave Fairy Tail? Fairy Tail meant so much more to her than just a guild name. It was her home. Her family. Two things she had sorely been lacking in her life for far too long. But they wouldn't hear any arguments from her. They insisted Rette get checked out and that put an end to the conversation. Once Rette was cleaned, bandaged, and changed, she helped Max to his feet, his arm looped around her shoulders and all of them left the medical bay.

In one of the halls, as they were leaving to return to their lodgings, they were approached by the Sabertooth team, who was lead by none other than their master, Jiemma.

"Rette Starrilia."

Rette turned to face them when Minerva called her name. Hadn't the woman had enough of her? After all...Rette had almost killed her. Something else that weight on her conscious since Rette normally wasn't the type to take vengeance that far. She blamed it on that little voice in her head that urged her to do bad things when her anger got the better of her.

"What do you want?" Rette asked, sounding put out.

"My father wishes to speak to you." Minerva replied, her tone just as snippy as Rette's.

Rette ignored her, her eyes going to the large man that was Minerva's father. Jiemma was staring down at Rette, eyeing her as if he was trying to get a read on her. Rette wasn't exactly in the mood to be eyed at the moment.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"You are a strong fighter. You even gave my daughter and my elite mages a hard time when it was five against one." Jiemma said.

Somehow, Rette was sure that wasn't a compliment. She was also sure she knew where this was going and it was not somewhere she wanted to be.

"Someone of your talent and power shouldn't be left to waste away in a pathetic guild like Fairy Tail. You should be with the strongest in Fiore." Jiemma said.

Rette's guild mates hung their heads but they agreed with him. Rette deserved to be among the best, to be with those who would push her to be stronger, who wouldn't constantly drag her down or require her to bust them out of difficult times. Seeing her guild mates hang their heads, made Rette's anger rise again. She instantly bit it back, knowing that to respond in anger might not be the best option right now. After all, she knew her guild mates agreed and only wanted the best for her.

"Come join Sabertooth. Your talents will flourish with us." Jiemma offered.

Rette's eyes snapped to Jiemma. First her guild mates told her she would be better off in another guild and now one was offering to steal her away from Fairy Tail.

Did everyone think her loyalties could be that easily swayed!?

"No."

Everyone turned wide eyed looks on Rette when she replied, her tone strong and suggesting that her decision was final.

"Excuse you?" Jiemma asked.

"You heard me. I said no." Rette told him.

"Rette!" Bisca said lowly.

"No. My loyalties are not that easy to shake. Fairy Tail is more than just a guild to me. It's my home. It's where my family is and where my friends will return to. I don't care about power and definitely don't care about being number one in Fiore. If you do, that makes you shallow and idiotic." Rette said, her eyes fixed on Jiemma.

Jiemma grit his teeth at the insult for he had no doubt in his mind that that was what Rette meant it to be. Rette didn't back down in the face of his displeasure. When it came to her guild, to protecting what was hers, she never would back down. She might not understand a lot and she might be oblivious to even more, but she had morals of her own.

"Fairy Tail is mine, now and forever. I will never give up what's mine, so I will **never** leave Fairy Tail. Even if I'm the last one standing. Fairy Tail is **mine** and I don't much care for those who mess with what's mine. Even if I was to leave Fairy Tail, I would never join a guild like your's. If I were you, I would turn around and leave now, because my answer isn't changing. Now if you'll excuse me, I do believe I have a prior arrangement with people who don't make me ill just by the sight of them. In case that wasn't clear, I mean you and your daughter. I would tell you good day, but I really don't care if you crawl into a gutter and die."

With that, Rette turned on her heel, taking Max with her. She walked away from the members of Sabertooth and refused to look back. For Rette, Fairy Tail was her one and only guild. There was nothing anyone could offer her that would make her leave it. Seeing her resolve, her determination to remain with them, her guild mates couldn't help their smiles and, in a few cases, tears of joy. They might not be the best of the best anymore, but they were her family.

A person just didn't leave their family hanging high and dry.

Until the day she drew her very last breath, she would remain completely and utterly loyal to Fairy Tail and the members residing in it.

And no one and nothing, would ever change that.

END

Kyandi: Personally...I would have said something a lot more rude to Jiemma.

Rette: And that is why you get yourself into a lot of trouble.

Kyandi: I'm sorry! If I think someone is rude or being a jerk, I'm going to tell them that to their face.

Rette: Just not in words that kind.

Kyandi: Okay, so my mouth tends to get away from me sometimes.

Rette: Sometimes?

Kyandi:...Half the time?

Rette:...

Kyandi: Alright, all the time! Happy?

Rette: Elated and ecstatic.

Kyandi: Those are synonyms.

Rette: I'm aware. Shall we move on?

Kyandi: Right. Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: We will return soon.

Kyandi: Bye-bye


	10. Returning Home

Kyandi: Howdy-do, everyone! I'm back!

Rette: And we bring a new chapter.

Kyandi: Honest to the heavens, I tried to write out the full seven years with only skipping a few months at a time, but I have run out of ideas, it would take to long to write out three more years, and I needed to catch this one up with the other time line, so...

Rette: We're about to start the Grand Magic Games arc.

Kyandi: Yep. And I can't wait! I have so many plans for this arc!

Rette: She's had so many plans that she has about fifty documents on her computer all labelled "Grand Magic Games", "Grand Magic Games1", and so on, all the way to fifty.

Kyandi: And I'm going to use each and every idea!

Rette: Be afraid, be very afraid.

Kyandi: Oh hush. So everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 10 Returning Home

Rette never did figure out where the dark magic she felt, was coming from. It never moved from it's fixed location. But after that year's Grand Magic Games, Rette didn't go back. The way she saw it, her guild mates, if they tried hard, could do well enough to stay out of last place. Apparently, she was wrong. The next year, her guild went back without her, Rette staying behind to mind the guild hall. Yet again, they came in dead last. Convinced that they would never be able to make it out of last place without Rette, everyone in the guild agreed that they would not take part again.

The humiliation was too great.

Rette returned to her normal life, taking jobs, working in the guild hall, helping with Asuka, and keeping her guild afloat. Before she knew it, the fifth, sixth, and seventh anniversary of the Tenrou team's disappearance, came and went. With it went Rette's twenty-third and twenty-fourth birthdays. For her twenty-third birthday, she got a tattoo, surprising her guild mates when she came into the guild hall with a lightning bolt tattooed over each collar bone, pointing towards her guild mark.

No one was stupid enough to remark on the possible meaning behind the tattoos.

As Asuka got older, Rette took on more and more time as her babysitter. Rette found that the older Asuka got, the easier it was to watch the child. The little girl dogged Rette's steps as she walked through the guild hall, sometimes insisting that Rette carry her on her shoulders, persisting until Rette relented and did it.

Rette was sure, by the time Asuka was five, that if she had any children, she would never be able to say no to them.

When she wasn't in the guild hall, she was out on jobs, Romeo tagging along with her. He was growing into a talented mage. Just shy of Rette's twenty-fifth birthday, found the guild in it's usual day to day pace. Rette was off on a job, leaving the guild hall in the capable hands of Laki and Kinana. Romeo, himself, was gone with Bisca and Alzack, putting Macao in a grouchy mood.

"Has Romeo not come home yet!?" Macao demanded, slamming his mug on the table. "Damn that Alzack and Bisca! They probably ditched Romeo and went off to party in the town!"

"Pipe down...you're not a kid anymore, old man. So calm down and have a seat, Macao." Wakaba told him.

This instantly provoked Macao into arguing with Wakaba, insisting he call him master. Wakaba replied back that he had never seen a master with such a complete lack of dignity. Max heaved a sigh. When Rette wasn't there to step between them, Macao and Wakaba could get into the most ridiculous of shouting matches. Across the guild hall, Laki was picking on Droy for his weight while Bijiter preformed his new dance that he called the "Puny Dance".

"You trying to tell me I've gotten fat, you bastard!?" Droy yelled at Laki.

"Man, you have no self-awareness." Jet replied. "Look at Reedus, how slim he got!"

"I've been working out every day! Can't you tell!? Just look at these muscles!" Droy insisted.

Had Rette been in the guild hall just then, she would have made some remark about how his so called "muscles" looked an awful lot like a bunch of fat to her.

"If Levy could see you like this now, what would she say." Jet remarked.

"Levy's not coming back..."

Droy caught himself, cutting off. Rette would have laid into him if she had heard him say that. Even after seven years, she still held firm that their missing friends would come back to them alive and well. The others fell silent. They could just hear Rette's scoldings now. While they all hoped, Rette was the only one who was completely, one hundred percent sure that their friends would come back. There wasn't a single doubt in her mind.

"Hey now...Just as always, it's only noon and you already look so serious. That's why you're a puny little guild."

The sudden voice drew all of their attention to the group that just walked in through their doors. Teebo, a member of Twilight Ogre, lead his group into the guild hall, a grin on his face as he looked around at them.

"Teebo." Wakaba growled lowly.

"I thought I told you not to come here anymore." Macao told Teebo.

"Hey, hey...is it really okay for you to be talking to me like that? After all, we are the guild that represents Magnolia, Twilight Ogre. There was a time when Fairy Tail was the strongest, but who knows now..your era has come to an end. Compared to that place built on a beat-up old tavern and the mage guild of the new age, Twilight Ogre. It's obvious which one would be more beneficial to the advancement of Magnolia, right?" Teebo said.

"Acting all mighty just cause they have a bigger guild..." Max muttered.

Rette would have knocked Teebo down a peg, if Macao would let her. She was always ready to give the members of Twilight Ogre a lesson in who was better.

"Yeah! We have spirit!" Warren yelled.

"You can't survive off of spirit along. As it stands, your little fox, Rette, is the only one of you worth a shit. If it wasn't for her, you would have shut down a long time ago." Teebo told them.

And they knew he was right. Rette had become the backbone of their guild, supporting it and seeing to their every need. Not that Rette would take the credit. She insisted that it was a guild effort and wouldn't hear another word against it.

"What did you come here for, Teebo?" Macao asked.

"This month's pay." Teebo replied.

"You didn't pay again, Macao!?" Wakaba asked.

"I thought I told you to call me master!" was Macao's retort instead of answering.

"You're late on your debt payments." one of Teebo's comrades said.

They were already a month behind. They all tried their hardest to make the money. Most of the time it fell to Rette, who was the only one who made any decent amount of money, to pay the payment. But Rette wasn't even in Magnolia at the moment. She had been gone the last five days on a large S-class job.

"We haven't gotten any work this month! We'll pay you next month, just please wait!" Macao told Teebo.

"Come on now, when you were on the verge of collapse, who was it that came to the rescue of this run down tavern? We were the ones who stepped in and loaned you money, weren't we!?" another of Teebo's comrades said.

"Why did you accept their help when you knew they were this stupid? Rette told you not to." Jet told Macao.

"Did you say something, you bastard!?" demanded another of Teebo's companions.

"Stop it, Jet!" Macao told Jet.

"But...!"

"Wait until next month...we'll pay up." Macao told Teebo.

Teebo smirked and starting looking around the guild hall, as if in search of someone.

"Oh? But where is that foxy little tavern maid of your's? She always pays up." Teebo remarked.

Macao grit his teeth. He, like everyone else in their guild, hated it when people talked about Rette that way. She was no tavern maid and she deserved a hell of a lot more respect than people gave her. Others just didn't understand how amazingly good Rette was to them.

"She's not going to pay you again. Rette deserves more respect from you than that." Macao told Teebo.

Teebo's smirk turned a little evil and, with no warning, he kicked Macao, sending him crashing back into a table, up-ending it. Teebo and his friends laughed and Max and the others, angry at the treatment of their master, stepped forward, ready to fight.

"Don't touch them!" Macao yelled.

Everyone froze in their tracks, not moving as Teebo and his friends went on a rampage, destroying furniture, drinking their alcohol, one guy even hitting on Laki. Suddenly, someone yanked the man hitting on Laki, away from her, dragging him back by his collar.

"Exactly what do you think you're doing?"

The voice, though indifferent sounding to the untrained ear, had a layer of anger to it. All noise stopped as everyone turned, finding Rette yanking on the man's collar. She glared down at the man with a none too pleased look in her blazing eyes.

"If I was you, I'd keep my hands to myself." Rette told the man, shoving him away from her and Laki.

"Rette!" her guild mates cried in joy.

Rette turned to face Teebo as he laughed, approaching her with all of the arrogance of a man who thought he was god's gift to the world. Rette wasn't impressed. If anything, she looked annoyed and nothing good came out of annoying Rette.

"Look who showed up. Hey, hey, hot stuff." Teebo greeted, slipping up close to Rette's side.

Rette heaved a sigh, crossing her arms over her stomach. Teebo leaned towards her, grinning as he peeked down the low neck line of Rette's top.

"We were just here to collect your debt payments but you master says y'all don't have it." Teebo said.

Rette reached up and shoved his chin upward, pushing him away from her. She stepped away from him, at the same time, reaching into a pouch on her belt. She pulled a canvas bag out of the pouch and shoved it into his chest.

"There's last month's pay. Take it and get out of here." Rette told him.

"Rette!" Macao called out to her.

Rette held up a hand, cutting off any scolding he possibly could have to throw her way. She gave Teebo a stern look that could melt steel, making him take a step back before he caught himself. He gave a curt laugh, taking the money from her.

"You're too good for this pitiful guild. Why not join Twilight Ogre. I'd be more than happy to take you out to dinner and talk about it." Teebo told her.

"I'd rather kiss a slug. That's less disgusting." Rette retorted.

Several of her guild mates fought back laughs as the grin on Teebo's face faltered. He wasn't too pleased with the remark, but those kinds of remarks were common with Rette.

"We'll give you this months pay, next month. Now, leave." Rette told Teebo.

Teebo scoffed, half turning away from her. His eyes turned to Macao who still sat in the floor.

"Don't forget now...next month." Teebo said.

With that, Teebo and his friends left. Rette watched until they were no longer in sight. Heaving a sigh, Rette turned to survey the damage to their guild hall. Tables and stools were smashed beyond repair, broken bottles shattered on the floor, spilling their contents over the wooden floors. Rette walked up to a broken table, already calculating in her head how much they would have to make to replace all of this broken furniture.

"Rette, you shouldn't have paid them. What about your bills?" Macao asked.

"The guild comes first and foremost. Don't worry about it. But next time they come in here and destroy things, I'm not going to go easy one them, no matter what you say." Rette told him, idly.

Just then, her eyes landed on one of Reedus's sketch books that had been knocked to the floor, it's pictures spilled across the ground. She froze when she saw a drawing of Makarov smiling back at her. Dropping to her knees suddenly, she reached out for some of the pictures. Seeing her suddenly drop, the others turned to her, seeing what had caught her attention. Rette shifted through some of the pictures. First one of her old team, then another of Wendy and Gajeel with Lily and Carla, another of Jet and Droy with Levy, then one of Mira, Lisanna, and Elfman with Cana.

Rette shifted through more, picking up a picture of the members of the Tunder Legion and one of the whole guild hall as it had been...full of smiles and laughter, and so much wonderful chaos. It wasn't until she shifted those out of the way that she stopped. She paused for a moment before picking up the picture that lay there. Sitting back on her rear, Rette held up a drawing of her with Thyme sitting on her shoulder. In the picture, Rette was lightly smiling as Thyme's paws waved in the air, a smile on her kitty face. Rette's took a deep breath in as her fingers tips ran over the image of Thyme. Just under that, was a drawing of Laxus. Rette held both in her hands, staring at them intently.

"It's been seven years since then." Wakaba said, as many of their guild mates were reduced to tears.

"Seven long, unbareable years." Rette agreed.

But she could still feel Thyme as if she had been there just yesterday.

"We searched with all we had, but none of them have showed up." Rette remarked. "That dragon...Acnologia was the cause. A dragon that could destroy a whole country on it's own."

"There's no way any human alive would be able to take on that thing." Warren said as tears spilled down his face.

"Maybe." was all Rette said, though they knew she no more believed their friends dead than she believed a person could touch the moon if they reached high enough.

"Ever since the moment they disappeared...we've turned into this weak, pathetic guild. Only Rette is of any worth." Max said.

"Don't start that. We've managed, **together** , to keep this guild going. There's nothing pathetic about that." Rette told him.

"Give it up, Rette. We all know we'd be done for without you." Jet told her.

"That's not true. It's all of you that make me a better person." Rette said lowly, fixing her eyes on the pictures in her hands. "Every last one of you."

Silence fell over the guild. It had been a long seven years and they were all tired and worn to the bone, but none of them had worked as hard, or as long, as Rette and Rette refused to quit now.

"Our time to close may be coming." Wakaba said.

"Don't say that! I won't hear of it!" Rette said instantly and a little sharply.

She would keep Fairy Tail going until her friends returned, even if it was just her and her alone. There had to be some kind of guild for her friends to come home to. There just had to be. Wakaba reached out, patting her on the shoulder.

"You've done a great job supporting us, Rette, but you've got to be tired." Wakaba told her.

"No, I'm not. I'll fight to the bitter end for this guild. It's all I have." Rette replied.

And they knew she would do just that. Over the years, Rette had turned down many offers from bigger, better, and stronger guilds to join their ranks. She had refused to leave them, to let them fall too far before yanking them all back up. She had been the glue that had held them together. Wakaba gave her shoulder another pat before looking at Macao.

"What's wrong, Macao?" Wakaba asked.

"My hearts feels like it's going to break." Macao said.

Rette was shocked to say that she, too, felt like the tattered remains of her heart were about to break into even tinier pieces. She had thought herself past being able to feel this heartache, but it was there nonetheless.

"You've done well, Master." Wakaba told Macao.

"Ever since that happened...Romeo hasn't ever smiled, even once." Macao said, in tears.

Rette stared the drawings in her hands for a moment more before carefully gathering the others and placing them back into the book. She handed it back to Reedus and got to her feet. Without another word, as she always did when Teebo and his group destoryed their guild hall, she got to cleaning. She hauled the broken bits of tables outside. The others watched her as she vanished out the door.

"And Rette...she hasn't stopped searching, hasn't stopped working since." Macao remarked.

"She'll be old far before her time at this rate." Wakaba agreed.

Not that it bothered Rette. She had promised she would do anything for her guild and she had kept that promise, working longer and harder than the rest of them, never giving up and refusing to stay down when she was knocked off her feet.

The years hadn't been kind to any of them.

Rette came back into the guild hall and started sweeping up bits of broken bar stools. She had just gotten a good amount into a pile when a loud noise filled the building.

"What is that sound?" Droy asked.

"Is it Ogre again?" Jet asked.

"No. This sound is familiar." Rette remarked.

She set her broom aside and led the others out of the guild hall. Looking up they found Blue Pegasus' battleship, Christina, hovering over them. Ichiya stood at the helm, right on the figure head. Without warning, he jumped from his perch and came plummeting down to the ground below...where he crashed with no way to cushion his fall.

"Huh...it's raining something annoying." Rette remarked.

Hibiki, Ren, and Eve followed him down, Ren using his air magic to safely place them on the ground. The moment their feet touched the ground, the three surrounded Rette and Laki.

"You're as beautiful as ever, Laki, Rette." Hibiki told them.

"T...those glasses really suit you, Laki. Short hair is a good look on you, Rette." Ren told them.

"Do either of you mind if I call you, "Baby"?" Eve asked.

"How about not." Rette told Eve.

"Do something other than flirt!" Max yelled at the three males.

"Hey! You guys!" Ichiya called.

Hibiki, Ren, and Eve instantly took a step back from Rette and Laki and bowed to them, asking them to excuse them. Rette waved it off. She was far too use to all of this to really pay it too much attention.

"I don't forget the perfume of those I've competed and fought with." Ichiya announced.

Rette stared at him for a moment as he struck a pose and then turned to Hibiki, who she was likely to get a more straight-forward answer from.

"A non-Ichiya explanation, please." Rette asked.

"Something matching Christina's movement characteristics that we've recorded in the information archives has been detected in Fiore's eternano reading." Hibiki told her.

Wait...did that mean...? Rette sucked in a breath, holding it as she waited for one of them to confirm her suspicions.

"In other words, Tenrou Island still exists."

-0-0-0-0-

After hearing those glorious words from Ichiya, Rette couldn't sit still. She gathered Max, Warren, Jet, Droy, and, as soon as they came back, Alzack and Bisca. The seven of them instantly set out, taking the coordinates from Hibiki. Rette currently was standing on the helm of the ship, holding onto a rope as she leaned out over the water, her eyes peeled for the first sight of the island. Her heart hadn't stopped pounding away in her chest since she had heard that Tenrou Island was still there. She was so centered on finding her friends, that she barely registered how her stomach flipped and flopped.

"Is it really around here?" Bisca asked, binoculars in hand.

"There's nothing to see..." Alzack added.

"According to those Pegasus guys, there was something about "eternano" in this part of this ocean. What's "Eternano" in the first place, anyway?" Max asked, a map open in his hands.

"How am I meant to know?" Alzack asked.

"Its the particles of magic that naturally exist in the air. It's what replenishes our magic when we use it." Rette remarked idly.

"Well, do you sense anything, Rette?" Max asked.

"The air around here feels different. Like all the magic is being focused around one fixed point. It's strange." Rette remarked, scanning the water.

"Well, tell us if anything changes." Max told her.

"Will do." Rette replied.

Bisca smiled, happy to note the tone of excitement and anticipation in Rette's tone. It was great to see her so excited for the first time in a while. Bisca just wished others shared Rette's out look on the whole situation. Thinking this, Bisca turned to her husband.

"Was it really okay not to bring Romeo along?" Bisca asked.

"We should have brought him along, by force if necessary." Alzack agreed.

"It's not a certainty that everyone is still alive." Max remarked.

"We shouldn't get our hopes up." Warren agreed.

"They're still alive. Have faith." Rette told them as Jet and Droy danced and sang in the background, excited about seeing Levy again.

"You're always so certain, Rette. How can you be so sure. There's been no word in over seven years. Think about the worst case scenario as well!" Warren told her.

This silenced Jet and Droy, but Rette turned to Warren, not effected by his negative, yet rational, view of the whole mess.

"I never told any of you, but...I've been able to feel my bond with Thyme just as strong these last seven years as if she had just left yesterday." Rette told them.

All of them turned to stare at Rette. They all knew that Thyme had the magical ability to bond with people and, through that bond, share each other's thoughts and feelings telepathically. Thyme had made one of those bonds with Rette, allowing the two to always feel each other, to know each other's feelings, if they were hurt, and to talk to each other without actually speaking. It was the reason why Thyme never really talked. If Thyme had been dead, the bond would have shattered.

Meaning that Thyme had to be alive.

"I know she's alive and if she's alive...so are the others. You'll see." Rette said, turning back around to face the water.

She had just turned around when something caught her eyes.

"What is that?" she asked.

The others came to the edge of the ship, peering across the water. Just ahead of them, standing on top of the water as if it was solid ground, was a young girl. Long, golden waves of hair blew in the breeze. Wing-ling adornments stuck out of her hair around each ear and she had the built of a young child about twelve or thirteen.

"She's standing on the water." Rette said lowly.

"Who it is!?" Warren asked.

Rette shook her head, but something about this girl, a faint echo of magic that Rette felt from her, felt oddly familiar to Rette. Rette's eyes locked with the girl's. Rette's head tilted to the side. Something about this girl was just so familiar that Rette couldn't shake it.

The girl smiled upon seeing them and extended her right hand, raising it into the air. Rette's stomach, which was already queasy and uneasy from the motion sickness, really started doing flips, making Rette press a hand to her mouth, when the water started quaking, shaking their boat. Rette groaned, positive that she was going to be sick. She soon forgot that sickness when something starting rising out of the water.

A large bubble, baring the Fairy Tail crest on it, rose from the water and snuggled safely inside the bubble...was Tenrou Island. Rette's eyes went wide, her heart picking up it's pounding pace to hammer away at her ribs. The bubble popped, sitting the island back among the waves. The girl smiled at them and then turned and floated over the water to the island.

"That woman! She went to Tenrou Island!" Warren said.

Rette didn't wait. She cast her Sun Wings spell, the dragon wing-like wings sprouting from her shoulders. She kicked off her perch and shot across the water after the girl.

"Rette! Wait up for us!" Max called.

Rette didn't hear him over the rapid pounding of her heart. She touched down on the beach, just behind the girl and followed her into the trees. The others followed when they landed on the shore. Rette could feel Thyme so clearly now, could smell the scents of her friends in the air. Her feelings were so chaotic, rising by the second. Goosebumps were even rising on her skin. Following her own senses, wanting to find Thyme first, she broke away from the others, leaping over tree roots and dodging tree limbs.

Where was she?

Where was Thyme?

Rette came to a stop at the edge of a tiny clearing, her heart slamming to a stop in her chest. Laying among a pile of leaves, half covered by them, was the familiar silver furred body with it's little black paws, long-furred tail, and bell earrings.

"Thyme..."

Rette hurried over to her, dusting the leaves away. She gently stroked Thyme's head. Rette's heart kicked up it's beat again when Thyme groaned lowly and opened her large, blue-purple eyes. When those eyes locked on her, Rette couldn't hold back anymore. She scooped Thyme up, hugging her tightly.

"Rette?" Thyme voiced lowly.

"You're alive! Seven years...seven years I've missed you." Rette told her lowly.

"Seven years!?"

Rette pulled back to look down at Thyme. Getting her first clear look at Rette, Thyme reached out a paw to touch Rette's face. A questioning look fell on her face as the looked at the older version of her dearest friend before her.

"You've gotten older." Thyme said lowly.

"It's been seven years, yet you look the same as you did when you left." Rette replied, scratching behind Thyme's ears.

Rette couldn't even begin to explain to Thyme everything she had felt, all she had been through, and how over joyed she was to see her again. So she let it all flood through the bond. All the nights she had felt so alone, all the days she had spent endlessly searching for them, all the trials, and every hard earned good moment in the last seven years. Thyme's eyes pooled with tears until they spilled over. She threw her arms around Rette's neck, silently apologizing for all of the sadness and pain.

"You're back now. That's all that matters. But we have a lot of lost time to make up for." Rette told her.

Thyme agreed.

Across the island, the others located one member of their missing friends after another, all with the help of the mysterious girl who introduced herself as Mavis Vermillion, the first master of Fairy Tail. To their greet surprise, they also found Laxus among those members on the island. They gathered everyone together, so happy to see them all alive that it brought tears to their eyes.

"Rette was right. She's been right these last seven years." Warren cried.

"Rette?" Mira asked.

"That's right!" Max said, turning and cupping his hands around his mouth. "Rette! We found them!"

They all waited until they heard fast approaching footsteps. Turning, they all looked up at the top of a incline as Rette appeared, Thyme flying at her side. The members of the Tenrou team froze upon seeing her. They had noticed that Max, Bisca, Alzack, and the others had changed, but Rette...Rette had come into her own. So much had changed. She stood before them, looking older, more mature, and taller, lightning bolts tattooed over her collar bones.

Laxus almost grinned upon seeing those.

She still wore her barely there clothes, currently dressed in barely-there shorts and a strapless, cropped off corset-like top. Over that she wore the coat Laxus had left her, the thing hanging off her shoulders. A sword hung from her belt and a charm bracelet shined from her wrist, but what they all noticed instantly, was that she had cut her hair off.

"Rette." Mira greeted with a smile.

Seeing that smile, a smile she had missed for so long, Rette started down the incline, gaining speed until she ran right into Mira and Lisanna, wrapping her arms around their necks and burying her face in their shoulders. Her heart was beating so fast that she couldn't catch her breath. Her chest burned from the intense feelings. She couldn't begin to describe how she felt, for she had never been this happy to see someone. She felt like her heart was going to jump right out of her chest, as if the sheer amount of happiness and joy, would kill her.

"Rette...breathe." Mira said with a soft laugh, hugging her back.

Rette let out a little, curt laugh, tightening her grip on the two. She didn't dare raise her face, afraid that if she looked at them again before collecting herself, she would burst into undignified tears.

"Breathe? How can I breathe with this burning in my chest? I can't even began to tell you how unexplainably happy I am to see you. You were gone too long. Don't ever do this to me again...I wouldn't be able to survive this painful feeling a second time." Rette told them, her voice carrying to everyone present.

The mix of words that so rarely left Rette's mouth and the tight, white knuckled grip she had on Mira and Lisanna conveyed just how serious she was. Mira and Lisanna tightened their grip on her, holding her just as tightly as she held them.

"Oh, Rette...I'm sorry." Mira told her.

"Me too." Lisanna added.

Rette pulled away from them, taking a deep breath. She faced them, her chest still feeling tight, but dry eyed. She shook her head.

"It's not your fault and you're here now." Rette told them.

It was then that her eyes found Laxus. She stared at him in surprise as she stepped around Mira to walk up to him.

"You...You **were** here..." Rette said lowly.

"Yeah. Going to get sentimental on me too?" Laxus asked, teasing her.

"It's not funny, you jerk!" Rette snapped at him, smacking him across the chest. "I spent seven years looking for you! You don't know how worried I was when I couldn't find you."

When Laxus stared back at her in shock, she turned her head away from him. So yes, she had been worried. Whether he was a jerk or not, and whether he was in currently in the guild or not...he was still apart of the family. Laxus smiled as he watched her. His eyes went down her form to the coat she wore.

"You're wearing my coat." he said, his smile turning into a grin.

"And? It's comfortable." Rette retorted, turning away from him.

"And you have lightning bolts tattooed on you." Laxus added.

"Whatever you're trying to get at, it's probably wrong, so drop it." Rette replied, crossing her arms.

Laxus chuckled. Even living out so many years, she still couldn't handle his teasing. She didn't have to worry about it though, as Bixlow, Freed, and Evergreen swamped her in a hug. Rette gave them each a hug in return and slipped out of their grips. Erza, Lucy, Cana, and Levy were next. Erza held her at arms length and looked her over.

"You've grown so much." Erza remarked.

"She's grown into a beautiful young lady." Mira said, almost proudly.

"I'm twenty-four now. It's been...a long seven years. But it looks like I'm the big sister now." Rette remarked, looking at Mira who smiled back at her.

"But what happened?" Max asked.

"I can explain."

Everyone turned to find Mavis standing there, watching them with a smile on her face. Rette turned a questioning look to Alzack and Bisca, who told her who the girl was.

"Our first master?" Rette asked, surprised.

"Yes. Back then...I took the strength of everyone's bonds and faith and converted all of it into magical power. All of your thoughts allowed one of the three great fairy magics, "Fairy Sphere" to be activated. It is a magic that will protect the guild from any evil, an absolute defensive magic. However, everyone was sealed in a frozen state. Though it's been released, a span of seven years has passed." Mavis told them.

"Well...it make sense. That explains why everything felt stuck in free fall when I tried to reach Thyme through our bond." Rette muttered.

"What now...so the First protected us, huh?" Makarov asked.

"No...I'm just an ethereal body. Since I converted everyone's strength into magic, I had to give it my all. Unwavering faith and resilient bonds will bring even miracles to your side. It's become a wonderful guild, Third." Mavis told Makarov with a bright smile.

Rette didn't question any of it. Really she didn't. She was just glad to have them all back, safe and sound. She perked up, though, when Mavis turned to her.

"But it seems that the unwavering faith wasn't just in those here on the island. You never lost faith in them, did you?" Mavis asked Rette.

All eyes turned to Rette, who tried to wave it off as if she wasn't embarrassed to have it pointed out in front of everyone.

"I could feel Thyme, alive and well, the whole time. It's hard to lose faith when you have such a strong sign." Rette said idly.

She said that, but those who had lived out the seven years with her, knew that even if she had known and even though her faith had never been shaken, Rette had had a hard time. Losing those seven years with her friends had been very hard for Rette who had a hard time letting go of anything.

With the explanation of what had happened, out of the way, they loaded up onto the ship. Most of them sat back and watched in fascinated wonder as Rette, as she normally did these days, took over, marching back and forth, giving instructions. Laxus made the mistake of pointing out that Rette actually looked like an adult with some responsibility on her shoulders, earning him a hard smack across the head. On the ship ride home, though, Rette was silent. When asked why, Max replied back that in the seven years they had been gone, Rette's motion sickness had only gotten worse and that that was probably the reason why she was being silent.

Even when they returned to solid land, though, Rette didn't say anything. Not until asked a question. As they were nearing the edge of Magnolia, Lucy turned to Rette, who walked near the front of the group.

"Rette...why'd you cut your hair? I thought your long hair was special to you." Lucy said.

All eyes turned to Rette as she finger combed her short hair, playing with the edges when she reached the back of her head.

"I cut it off for a good reason." Rette replied.

Before anyone could ask what that reason was, Rette suddenly turned off the main road into Magnolia and started heading for the outskirts of the town.

"We changed guild halls." Rette said, leading the way.

When she was out of ear shot, Bisca turned to look at Lucy and smiled at her.

"Rette cut her hair off in tribute to all of you. She said she refused to let it grow back out until you came home. Said that as important as her hair length was to her, all of you were more important." Bisca told them.

All eyes went to Rette's back as she walked ahead of them, Thyme back in her usual place on Rette's shoulder. Makarov couldn't help but think that there was a straightness, and a tiredness, to Rette's shoulders that hadn't been there before.

"She's changed." Makarov said grudgingly.

"She has. She pretty much, single-handly takes care of our guild now." Alzack said.

When given a confused look by the others, Alzack gave them a sad smile and explained.

"Things haven't been good for the guild since you left. We lost the guild hall and had to move into another building, we're indebted to a new guild built here in Magnolia, and we've lost all but a small hand full of our members. Half the time, we only make our debt payments and stay active because of Rette. She works herself to the bone to provide for us." Alzack said.

"She's gotten so strong." Warren remarked. "A lot of other guilds have offered for her to join them, but she refuses."

"Rette won't hear a word of leaving Fairy Tail. She was always so confident that all of you would come back and she wanted there to be a guild for you to come home for. So she works and works...and works. I can't even remember the last time she took a day off." Max remarked.

"Her twentith birthday." Jet supplied.

"Too long ago." Droy agreed.

"She's tired, we can tell. But she won't admit it if you ask." Max told them.

"Are all of you talking about me behind my back again?"

Rette suddenly turning and calling back to them, snapped them all out of their conversation. She raised an eyebrow in disbelief when Max tried to lie to her and tell her that they weren't doing that. It was clear that Rette didn't believe him, but she let it go and turned back to continue down the path. As the old building that served as their guild hall came into view, loud laughter and the sound of a voice Rette knew and disliked, reached their ears. Watching her, it looked like she kind of puffed up, displeasure clear in the way her hands curled into fist.

"Teebo. He's back. That's it." Rette muttered before stomping forward.

"Rette!? What are you going to do?" Max asked.

"I said the next time he busted into our guild and started problems that I wasn't going to go easy on him. This is seven years in the making." Rette retorted.

Max and Warren looked at each other. None of them, in the last three years, had forgotten what had happened that one time Rette had lost her temper with Minerva from Sabertooth. Feeling uneasy, Max and Warren hurried after her.

"She really will hurt him this time." Alzack remarked, looking at Bisca.

With a nod, the two of them hurried after Rette too. The moment Rette crossed into the guild hall and found Teebo raising his spiked club over his head to attack Romeo, her protective instincts kicked in and she hurried forward, but Natsu beat her to the punch, giving Teebo a fire fueled kick in the rear that sent him flying into the back wall of the guild hall. Surprised, the others turned to Natsu and the others, tears filling their eyes as they saw them.

Rette, though, watched in snug amusement as Gray, Gajeel, Erza, and Makarov took down Teebo's four comrades. Rette turned to her remaining guild mates who had stayed behind while they went looking for Tenrou Island. Her hands went to her hips.

"I told all of you...didn't I?" Rette remarked.

"Oh, Rette! We'll never doubt you again!" Laki cried.

Laki threw her arms around Rette's neck with a joyful cry. Rette took the hug for a short while, but soon waved Laki off of her.

"Yes, yes, now go hug them." Rette told her.

Rette left Makarov to explain to those who hadn't been there, what had happened on Tenrou Island seven years ago and returned to her work. The others got caught up with each other, Natsu managing to get the first smile from Romeo that Rette had seen in seven years. Rette looked up at her guild as it filled with the joyful cheers she hadn't heard in so long. It was so good to hear the noise again. She returned to her paperwork, loving the noise that filled the background. The others talked cheerfully among each other.

"So, you use fire magic, too, Romeo?" Natsu asked excitedly.

"Looks like things are gonna heat up in the guild again, right?" Happy asked.

"I can make cold flame, too. And I can make a sticky flame that's purple, just like my dad's and a funny smelling yellow flame." Romeo said, showing them each of the flames.

"Didn't you get any better traits from your dad?" Gajeel asked.

"Hmm? I've seen this magic somewhere." Natsu remarked.

"Don't tell Dad, but I've been going to Totomaru's magic class." Romeo told them lowly.

"That guy...I had no idea you'd been doing that." Gajeel remarked lowly.

"Yeah...Rette insisted I go. She's been real supportive of me learning all I can. Even when Dad isn't." Romeo said fondly.

Across the guild hall, Makarov and Macao were talking about the master title of the guild.

"So...you're the fourth master of Fairy Tail, hmm?" Makarov asked Macao.

"What are you saying? I'm just filling in! You can have back your title right away!" Macao told him.

"No need...this might be interesting. Why don't you stay as master for a while." Makarov told him.

"Seriously!?" Macao asked. "Well, if that's what the master wishes, I guess I'll stay for a while...ehehehe..."

"They probably won't say anything, but I'm sure they're all gonna be disappointed." Wakaba told Makarov lowly.

"I know, right?" Makarov said, laughing.

"Truth be told, even though Macao was the master, most of the work got done by Rette." Wakaba added.

"Rette?" Makarov asked.

"Yeah. She's taken over a lot of the work in the guild hall. In fact, she's doing paperwork right now." Macao said, gesturing to the corner of the room where Rette sat shifting through piles of paperwork.

"All paperwork and things like that, go through Rette. She's become quite capable." Wakaba remarked.

Makarov looked over at Rette as she switched out papers, focusing on the print on the page rather than the noise around her. Not far from them, Erza was talking with Bisca and Alzack.

"M...ma...ma...you've gotten married!? You two!?" Erza asked.

"Six years ago." Alzack told her.

"That's right, Erza! And you know what? I was the one that proposed! And then we..."

"Let's stop the conversation right here." Erza said, cutting Bisca off. "C...congratulations! I may be a little inexperienced and naive, but please take care of me!"

Erza bowed to Bisca and Alzack, her face blood red.

"What are you saying, Erza?" Elfman asked.

"She's somehow warped this whole thing around to being about her." Mira said with a little laugh.

"Do you have wonderful children!?" Lisanna asked Alzack, her eyes wide.

"I have one daughter. Her name is Asuka." Alzack told her.

"It's funny actually." Bisca said, looking at Alzack. "We wouldn't be where we are now if it wasn't for Rette."

"How so?" Mira asked.

"Rette was the one that gave us the push to finally tell each other our feelings. Not to mention that sometimes, she babysits Asuka. You should have seen Rette the day Asuka was born. The moment she was in Rette's arms...I thought Rette was going to have a panic attack!" Bisca said with a smile.

The image of a freaked out Rette with a baby in her arms was just too easy to see. None of them could see Rette being a baby person.

"I've noticed that a lot of the conversations around here, keep going back to Rette." Erza remarked.

"Like we said, Rette's been vital to keeping this guild going. She's done so much for us. And when all of you head back to your houses, you'll find she's kept them clean and dusted for you." Alzack replied.

"Really?" Lisanna asked.

"Rette never, not once, doubted that you all would be coming back. She searched the longest and hardest out of all of us and even when the rest of us had to stop and all search parties were called off, she continued. All while juggling work here at the guild, her own jobs, maintaining her own home and all of your's, and even babysitting for Bisca and I, now and then." Alzack said.

"Even now, when she should be celebrating, she's doing paperwork." Bisca remarked, shaking her head.

Rette's friends looked over at her, watching her as she worked her way through the papers stacked up beside her. Erza was about to go talk to Rette when Lyon, Cherie, Toby, Jura, and Yuka showed up, all calling out their greetings to the members of Fairy Tail.

"When we were searching for Tenrou Island, Blue Pegasus and Lamia really helped us out." Max explained when the others were shocked to see them.

"Looks like we're in their debt now." Gray said.

"Don't worry about it. Blue Pegasus made it out there first, but we have much more power." Lyon bragged.

"Who cares." Gray chimed in.

"Well, in these past seven years, we Lamia Scale have climbed up to the number two guild in Fiore." Cherie said.

"So does that mean number one is Blue Pegasus?" Lucy asked.

"Of course not! There's no way that could happen!" Toby yelled.

"Settle down." Yuka told Toby. "No...it's not Blue Pegasus."

"Well, enough about that. What's important is that everyone's okay." Jura said.

Jura spotted Rette then and shook his head. It seemed every time he came by the Fairy Tail guild these days, Rette was buried in paperwork or running back and forth taking care of the guild hall.

"Rette, you should join your friends in celebrating." Jura called to her.

"If I don't finish this paperwork, there won't be a guild hall to celebrate in." Rette called back.

She said that, but she was watching her friends, glad to see them back where they belonged. To see old friendships kick back off as if there had never been so long of a gap apart. Lucy, too, was watching her friends. To those of the Tenrou team, it had been no more than a week apart, but to those left behind, it had been seven, long and sorrowful years filled with pain and sadness. They had lost their original guild hall, their current guild hall was in shambles, money was tight, if not nonexistent among the guild members. So much had changed, as well. Romeo was older, Jet and Droy had changed, Alzack and Bisca had a kid.

And then there was Rette.

Rette not only looked older, so much about her had changed. She had become this responsible adult that they hadn't expected her to be. Where many of them had thought Rette would break apart and give up completely if she lost another person dear to her, she had embraced the experience, had taken up the mantle, and had supported the guild on her own two shoulders. If it hadn't been for the guild, maybe she would have fallen apart, but with the guild in need of her help, she had steadied herself and had plunged head first in the currents of strife. Rette had become strong, unwavering, a pillar of support and strength among a shamble of a guild.

A monolithe, unyielding and unwilling to bow to the howling wind of misfortune.

Rette had matured so much, but it made Lucy wonder if Rette still had the issues she had had those seven years ago, or if she had finally managed to let them go. In the midst of the chaos of the following celebration, Lucy didn't get to ask. Just like if it was old times, the guild partied, sang, danced, and just celebrated having friends, having family, back.

It was almost as if no time had passed at all.

But then reality kicked in and soon every member of the Tenrou team realized what that seven year gap meant for them. Back pay on rent, things they had to miss, bad news about events that had happened since their disappearance, and, the biggest news for Lucy, the death of her father. There was a lot they had to make up for, a lot they owed to their guild mates.

A lot they had to make right.

And soon.

END

Kyandi: Take it from someone who knows, having to take over all the work in the absence of someone else...it tiring.

Rette: So I've noticed.

Kyandi: Yep. You never understand just how difficult it can be until you're shoved into the role with no time to prepare.

Rette: It's not easy, but if there's no other way, you make it work.

Kyandi: Such is life and the human condition.

Rette:...You just wanted to say "human condition", didn't you?

Kyandi: Kind of...yes.

Rette: Which is why your newest OC is a profiler.

Kyandi: What? Might as well put the psychology class I took in college to good use.

Rette: Uh-huh. Can we move on?

Kyandi: Right! Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: We shall return soon.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	11. Holding The Mantle

Kyandi: I'm back!

Rette: After giving some really bad advice at the end of the new chapter for the other time line.

Kyandi: I said I was sorry!

Rette: But children will never be able to unread it.

Kyandi: At least I'm not a role model!

Rette: What a poor experience that would be.

Kyandi: Hey! I know what you're doing.

Rette: And what would that be?

Kyandi: The same thing you and all of my OCs do...you're picking on me!

Rette: And it took you how long to figure that out?

Kyandi: Leave me alone, already. Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama, thankfully, does not own Fairy Tail. Her slow stupidity would ruin it.

Kyandi: ARGH! STOP IT!

Chapter 11 Holding The Mantle

With the mind set that they had to set things right, everyone got to work. Makarov was going to handle the biggest issue first. An issue that constantly lead to the lack of funds on Rette's behalf. Taking Rette, Erza, and Mira with him, Makarov, a day or two later, went to see the master of Twilight Ogre, Banaboster.

"That's what I'm sayin', old man...as for right now, there's nothing to discuss here. Just pay us back the money we lent you, and everything will be fine." Banaboster told Makarov.

Makarov sat across a low coffee table from Banaboster, Rette standing right behind the couch he sat on, Mira to her right and Erza to her left.

"Even if you say that...you know very well, we have so little money, it's amazing we're able to get by." Makarov said.

"Money's not going to magically appear just because you are taunting us." Mira added.

"Are you tryin' to pick a fight with me!? That Rette girl of your's, has paid nearly every payment until now." Banaboster said.

Makarov, Mira, and Erza looked at Rette, who had her eyes fixed on Banaboster, ignoring their looks.

"And that was hard work to do. I had to bust my butt to make that money. I'm not a bank, you know." Rette said.

Makarov waved a hand, cutting in before Banaboster could say anything to Rette in return to her tart comment.

"Not at all! We'll pay you back the money we borrowed plus the proper interest...someday." Makarov told Banaboster.

"Are you listening!? I told you I want you to pay me right now, geezer!" Banaboster said, flying to his feet.

Watch it." Rette told him lowly.

If he made one wrong step, she would not stop before knocking him back in line. She had taken years of crap from Banaboster and his guild members. She had grown awfully tired of it.

"Come, come, now...first, why don't we go over those interest rates again." Makarov said.

"We've got five healthy young men here ready to cause some serious pain, damn it! Beating up your debtors won't make the money you're owed come back!" Banaboster roared.

"No, but it made me feel better." Rette muttered.

"This is a matter of your guild's reputation, damn it!" Banaboster went on.

"Huh? Didn't you come here today to talk about "money"? You wanna talk about that, too?" Makarov asked.

"Don't play dumb, you know what I'm talking about, damn it!" Banaboster said, kicking aside the table between them.

"'Return whatever you borrow'. That's our guild's creed...that's what you're talking about, right?" Makarov asked.

"Seven years worth of damage to furniture in our guild from members rampaging." Erza said.

"Seven years worth of insult and injury to the our members. Playing around with what isn't yours." Rette added.

"We need to pay all of that back to you." Mira agreed.

"Seven years worth...of tears cried from the pain gelt by these children," Makarov said, growing in size until he was as big as Banaboster. "Hey, child. Here's what we owe to war."

Erza requipped in one of her darker armors with spikes along the shoulders, Rette transformed into her primary Satan Crystallite form, and Mira transformed in her She-Devil form. Between the three and Makarov, they wrecked the same havoc as what had been wrecked in their guild hall. Rette had to admit...it felt so good to finally be able to repay them for all the times they had come into her guild's building and had destroyed things and hurt people.

With that, one big issue with the guild, was handled.

In a rather off hand, violent way, but it was handled.

Rumors began to spread, from there. Rumor of the return of Fairy Tail's core members. Jason from Sorceror Weekly came by the guild to get the details. Every day became a party as people tried to make up for lost time. To the amusement of those who came back from Tenrou Island, they got to see babysitter Rette in action when Bisca and Alzack had to leave her with Rette during a job. Laxus couldn't even begin to describe how funny it was to watch Rette walk around the guild with a little five year old dressed up in a cowboy hat and boots, right on her heels.

At the same time, it just showed how much Rette had changed considering how little she had gotten along with children before they had vanished.

Things pretty much settled back into the flow of how they normally were, with Rette running around the guild hall working, and Natsu and his friends causing noise. Today found Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Wendy, and Erza listening to Romeo tell them about the guild that had become number one in Fiore.

"Sabertooth?" Natsu asked.

"A tiger with sabers for teeth...Sabertooth, get it?" Romeo asked.

Rette, who had been walking by, growled, snapping her teeth together hard enough for everyone to hear. Her friends looked at her and turned a questioning look on Romeo.

"Rette has history with their elite mages. It's not pretty." Romeo told them lowly.

"I wouldn't call it history. Minerva rubs me the wrong way and her higher-than-thou attitude really makes me want to wipe the pavement with that smug face of hers. And I almost got to." Rette retorted, flexing the fingers of one hand as she thought about her fight with Minerva and her teammates a few years back.

Natsu opened his mouth to say something but Romeo, Bisca, and Alzack all shook their heads fiercely. Natsu kept whatever comment he had been about to say, to himself.

"Blue Pegasus and Lamia even disregard them...they're currently the strongest mage guild in Fiore." Romeo told them.

"I've never heard of them." Gray said.

"They weren't anything special seven years ago." Alzack explained.

"You're saying they grew suddenly over these last seven years?" Gray asked.

"It started when their guild master recruited five very strange, but very capable mages." Max said from the next table over.

"Five people alone made that much of a difference?" Lucy asked.

"They tried to recruit Rette once, too." Warren told them.

Across the room, Rette huffed. Not liking the conversation at hand, she vanished into a back room, snapping the door shut behind her.

"As you can imagine, she turned them down. Ripped their leader a new one as far as insults and demeaning words go. She doesn't have a very high opinion of them." Max told them.

"So what rank does that leave our guild in now?" Wendy asked.

"You really wanna know?" Happy asked.

"You haven't heard yet?" Carla asked.

Wendy gave them a confused look. While trying to raise the money to pay the back payments on her room at Fairy Tail's dorm, Fairy Hills, she had been staying with Rette in her house and Rette never talked about things like that. Rank, apparently, didn't mean anything to Rette.

"Absolute last place." Romeo said.

"A super tiny weak little guild." Alzack added.

"The weakest guild in Fiore." Bisca agreed.

"Ahh, I'm sorry for asking!" Wendy said, covering her ears.

"Like we've said...if it wasn't for Rette, we would have been plowed over and shut down a long time ago. She's leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of us. Worked hard to grow stronger because she wanted to protect the guild until you guys came back." Alzack told them.

Natsu, all excited, stood in his chair and slammed a foot on top of the table.

"Kaaaahahahahahah! Heh sounds great! How interesting!" Natsu declared.

"Wha?" Gray asked.

"You get it, don't you? I'm looking forward to the chance to try and climb our way higher! How many opportunities like that do you get!? I'm getting all fired up now!" Natsu declared.

Romeo, Alzack, and Bisca, though, instantly glanced towards the door Rette had vanished through. If she had seen Natsu put his foot on the table like that...too late.

"I don't care if you're fired up...get your foot off the table."

Natsu hit the floor hard as Rette yanked his chair out from under him and gave his clothes a yank, throwing him to the floor. Hands on her hips, she leaned over Natsu and gave him a pointed, cold look.

"Do you know how much money I've spent replacing table after table after table in this guild hall? Break the table, Natsu, and I'll break you." Rette told him.

Natsu, instantly cowed by her, held up his hands, shrinking back against the floor like he did when Erza got onto him. Rette eyed him and when she was sure he got the picture, she turned around to return to her work.

"It's still so strange to see her so responsible and adult-like." Gray remarked.

"She's scarier than she use to be." Natsu remarked.

"Yeah, that's Rette now. You don't know the half of the scary part. No one wants to confront her on anything anymore, no matter what guild they come from. Most of Fiore saw her in the middle of losing her temper once and now everyone treads carefully around her. It was some scary stuff." Max told them, heaving a sigh.

Talking about who was stronger and weaker, as always, ended up in fight getting started. Everyone went outside and Max and Natsu faced off in a friendly spar. At first, it looked like Max just might win, shocking Natsu with how strong he had gotten in the last seven years. Natsu, refusing to lose to Max, decided to use a new trick he had learned on Tenrou Island before Acnologia had shown up. Rette, who had decided to take her paperwork outside so she could watch too, glanced up from her work in interest when Natsu mixed his Fire Dragon Slayer magic with Laxus' Lightning Dragon Slayer magic.

She wasn't sure how to feel about that. Mixing magic like that was her thing. She didn't know how to take it that Natsu did the same thing. Granted, Natsu probably only knew how to mix Dragon Slayer magic, leaving Rette's place as the Nexus Mage intact, but she still didn't like it. He was stepping on her toes a little too much.

The breath attack Natsu let loose barely missed Max, taking off a few strands of hair and making the man weak kneed. It did, however, destroy a long line of open land beyond Max.

"Damn it! It's not as powerful as it was." Natsu muttered.

"When did you steal this?!" Lucy asked.

"Just now." was Natsu's reply.

He was about to find out something Rette had known for the better part of a decade and a half...that an attack like that that mixed magic, drained a lot of magic.

"Natsu, don't laugh and boast. You're about to hit rock bottom." Rette called out to him.

"What do you mean? I'm still the strongest!" Natsu said, laughing.

A sweat broke out on his forehead then and he, as Rette had said, hit rock bottom. Or, in this case, rocky ground. Natsu fell face first onto the ground, his strength gone. Rette, flipping through paperwork, shook her head. Why didn't he ever listen?

"I told you. That kind of magic cost you a lot of magical energy. It's best you put in a lot more training first." Rette told him.

"Natsu...you'd better not fight with this in real combat." Happy added, agreeing with Rette.

"Well, Max is marvelous too." Wendy said.

"You are flattering me, Wendy." Max replied, rubbing the back of his head.

"You are strong enough to fight with the Orge's, why didn't you beat them and shut them up?" Carla asked.

"That was Macao's decision." Rette piped in.

"We owed them so much money." Warren added.

"It can't be solved by violence." Nab agreed.

"A little too late for that." Rette said.

All eyes turned to Rette who had the tiny beginnings of a smile on her face as she filled out paperwork.

"We are facing a really serious problem."

Everyone looked up, finding that Gray had joined them, sitting on an outcrop of stone above their heads.

"Apart from those monster-like powerful guys like Gildartz, Laxus, we are too weak in this world now." Gray said.

"You're right...even that Natsu got a hard victory in fighting with Max." Lucy said.

"Is there any shortcut to raise our magic power?" Happy asked.

With that comment, Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Happy, Carla, and Wendy decided to go see Porlyusica about a possible potion or something that could increase their magic level. Rette, shaking her head at their silliness, returned to working in the guild hall. She had just finished a good portion of paperwork that Makarov had requested, which would report a change in masters, when Makarov returned to the guild hall. All that had to be done was writing down who the next master would be.

"Is it done, Rette?" Makarov asked, walking over to her.

"Yes, sir." Rette replied.

Makarov nodded and headed for the bar. He jumped up onto the bar and sat down, addressing the members of the guild that were currently in the guild hall.

"...my point is that I've decided to retire. And now I'd like to introduce the next master to you all. The fifth master of Fairy Tail is...Gildartz Clive!" Makarov gestured to the spot behind him where Gildartz had been when they returned to the guild hall.

Instead of Gildartz, Mira stood there with a smile on her face. She held out a letter to Makarov that Gildartz had left behind. Makarov opened it and read it aloud.

"'To Master, and all friends here, to be the master...sorry to say I'm not suitable.'" Makarov read, his jaw dropping.

Laughter rang out through the guild hall. Rette shook her head. Makarov really should have seen something like this coming. Gildartz wasn't really the type to be held down in a single place for long. He was like a leaf caught in the wind...just going wherever the wind took him.

"'Well, anyway, selected as the fifth master, I'd like to do two things for you. The first is under suggestion of a very...adamant friend of our's. First is to acknowledge Laxus as a member of Fairy Tail.' Dare you...!" Makarov read, yelling the last bit in frustration.

Bixlow, Evergreen, and Freed lit up, and, all at once, jumped at Rette, snatching her off her bar stool and into a hug.

"Thank you, Rette!" they cried.

"What makes you think it was me that said something!?" Rette demanded.

When all they did was smile at her with happy grins on their faces, Rette's cheeks started turning the lightest shade of pink. She looked away from everyone, the three still hugging her tightly.

"I wasn't "adamant". It was merely a suggestion." Rette muttered lowly.

Laxus stared at Rette in surprise, actually feeling a little touched that she had even thought to say anything to Gildartz. Makarov stared at Rette in open mouth surprise at the fact that she had actually figured out, before hand, who he was going to chose as the fifth master. He hadn't told anyone. Then again, it was Rette and no matter how she acted, she was actually pretty smart.

"Uh...I will submit to the fifth master..." Makarov muttered.

Rette's eyes came up to meet Laxus' for a moment before she looked away again, trying for indifferent and aloof, but the light blush on her face, ruined the attempt.

"It doesn't mean anything. You're still annoying." Rette told him.

Laxus grinned, Freed, Bixlow, and Evergreen laughing at her. No matter what she said, they knew she actually cared. Makarov continued reading the letter, the last part making him freeze like a statue in horror.

"'Second is to nominate Makarov Dreyar to be the sixth master of Fairy Tail.'. Me again...!?"

"Well everything returns to the way it was." Alzack remarked.

"As it should be. Now I'll be able to sleep at night." Rette retorted.

Whether that meant she was relieved that Makarov was master again, that Laxus was back in the guild, or both, none of them knew. And Rette didn't give them any hints, either.

"'I'll travel around for some time, and will come back someday. Take care, all of you. And Cana...sorry to leave you again. You can always pray to the card when you miss me and your feeling will reach to my card so that I will fly to you'." Makarov read on.

Mira gave Cana an envelope containing a card that she could use to call him if she ever needed him. With a smile, Cana ripped up the card.

"I don't need it! I told you that I like the life I have, damn father." Cana said.

"'Fairy Tail is my home. I will be back. Until the day I'm home, I hope that Fairy Tail would be the number one guild of Fiore again. But it's not my duty to do so, but yours, Master. This is your last job...to lead Fairy Tail to be the number one guild of Fiore'." Makarov read, finishing the letter.

For a moment, he stood there, arms crossed, barely containing his shaking. And then he exploded, jumping up and down on the spot.

"My last job? Dare you! Ok, then I will never retire again! I'll be the master for a lifetime! Wine! I need wine!" Makarov yelled.

Chatter began to fill the guild hall, Makarov downing wine faster than Rette could down water. She really hoped there never came a day when she had that kind of tolerance. She feared what that would mean for her poor liver. A line of conversation caught Rette's ears then.

"Gildartz said to be number one of Fiore." Warren said in disbelief.

"It's really too greedy, don't you think so?" Max asked.

"Nope. I think being positive is great." Erza said.

"It might be possible seven years ago." Warren told her.

"Now everything has changed." Max agreed.

"Besides Sabertooth..." Alzack remarked, trailing off.

"Lamia and Blue Pegasus have both grown to mighty guilds, so much stronger than seven years ago." Bisca finished, little Asuka adding in, "Large guilds" cheerfully.

"And look at us. Although our core members have come back." Bijiter said, sourly.

"Tenrou team has made no progress since seven years ago." Laki agreed.

"We have no way to fill up the vacant seven years. It's really difficult to be the number one of Fiore, in terms of either individual magic or the sum power of the guild...you get the point...it will take some time to regain what we had before." Erza said.

"But we can't and don't want to afford seven year as "some time"." Romeo said, jumping up onto a table.

"Romeo." Rette told him in warning, her eyes going to his feet on the table.

"I won't break it, promise." Romeo told her quickly.

Rette gave him a pointed look, but let it slide. Romeo grinned broadly at her and turned back to look at the others.

"There's only one way for us to become number one in a short time!" he declared.

Rette heave a sigh. She had a feeling that she knew where this was going. Those who had lived out the seven years, freaked out as they, too, figured it out.

"No way! We have decided never to participate in that, haven't we!?" Macao said.

"What are you talking about, Fourth Master?" Makarov asked.

"Would you please stop calling me that, Sixth Master?" Macao asked.

Rette rubbed at one temple as Macao and Romeo got into an argument from there, the two fiercely at odds about what to do. During this argument, Natsu and his group came back.

"We've got to do it! Let's do it! Let's do it!" Romeo yelled.

"No way, no way, no way, no way! I absolutely disapprove of this! We decided we'd never participate in that again!" Macao yelled back.

Father like son, Rette supposed. It was definitely hard not to see how the two were related. Both bull headed and stubborn, and loud.

"You don't have any authority to decide anymore, Dad! You're not the master anymore!" Romeo yelled.

"I'm saying this as a member of the guild!" Macao said.

"Romeo, whether he is the master or not, he is your father and only cares about what is best for you. You shouldn't yell at him like that." Rette called from across the guild hall.

Romeo instantly swallowed whatever retort he had for his father. It always had made Macao feel a little bad to see that Rette could get his son to listen, but he couldn't. Then again, everyone who had lived with her the last seven years, had learned to fear angering Rette.

"What's the problem, now?" Gray asked.

"It looks like some father-son dispute." Carla replied.

The two were ignored as Macao called for all of those who didn't want to participate, to raise their hand. All of those who had lived out the seven years, save Romeo and Rette, raised their hands. Even Asuka followed her parents and raised her little hand in the air.

"But we've got the Tenrou guys here this time! And Rette! She was great the last time she participated! There's no way Fairy Tail can lose!" Romeo declared.

Rette chose not to say anything.

"Going? Not going? What are they talking about?" Natsu asked.

"While you were gone, an annual festival was created to decide the number one guild in Fiore, Natsu! All the guild of Fiore get together and compete with their magic power. It's called the Grand Magic Games!" Romeo told him.

Of course, Natsu and his team were instantly fired up for the idea. When Romeo mentioned that the winning guild got thirty million jewel as a reward, Makarov signed onto the idea as well.

"It's impossible! There's Blue Pegasus and Lamia." Droy said.

"And Sabertooth is gonna be there, too!" Warren added.

"And in the past, we've always taken last place!" Jet added.

"Last place?" Lucy asked.

"The only year we didn't take last place was because Rette carried our team. If it hadn't been for her, we would have lost completely again." Bisca said.

Natsu wasn't listening. He was yelling that he was all fired up, lost completely to his excitement. A loud smack drew all attention across the guild hall to where Rette was sitting at the bar. She had just slammed down her clip board and turned to everyone, crossing her arms.

"Everyone needs to slow down for a moment." Rette said, getting to her feet. "As they said, every year we have participated, we've come in dead last. The only year we didn't was because I went and won my challenges, and because I picked a team that worked well together."

"Rette...are you saying you won't do it?" Romeo asked.

"I'm saying that you need to stop and think. Among those of us in the guild who had to live out the seven years, I'm the only one who stood a chance against the top teams that take part in the Games. I'm sorry to say that no one else matches my level. Natsu almost lost to Max in a fight earlier today. If you have that difficult of a time with Max, Natsu, you don't stand a chance against me, and if you can't stand against me...then you'll be crushed in the Games." Rette said in a reasonable manner.

Everything she was saying was rational and true. Rette had stood at the top of the Fairy Tail guild for seven years with power higher than that of the guild's master, Macao. For seven years, she had been the pride and joy of Fairy Tail, the figure head, and the voice of reason and support.

"Compared to some of the other fighters that are going to be there, even I come up short. If you can't match me or go beyond me...then you will need some serious training. All I'm saying is that you need to think about the amount of training you'll need." Rette said.

"Then fight me!"

Rette blinked once at Natsu's sudden demand. Before their disappearance, Natsu had never really requested a fight against her. Rette had always assumed that he just knew he was stronger and therefore, didn't feel the need to fight her.

"Why?" Rette asked.

"Everyone keeps sayin' you're the strongest and you just said that if I can't beat ya then I don't stand a chance, right? I wanna find out for myself." Natsu said.

"Count me in, too." Gray agreed.

Now that was a definite surprise. Gray and Rette were an ill match to go head-to-head. As an Ice Dragon Slayer, putting an ice mage like Gray against Rette was suicide. Rette looked between the two. Heaving a sigh, she ran a hand through her short hair. She kind of brought it on herself.

"Alright, but you aren't going to like the outcome, I assure you." Rette told them as she shrugged off the coat she had gotten from Laxus.

She walked past them and out the doors of the guild hall. Natsu and Gray followed her. Those not part of the Tenrou team, exchanged worried looks before rushing after them.

"This is going to be bad." Max said, flying out the doors.

The others followed. Makarov looked at Max when they stopped outside the guild hall.

"Rette is, without a doubt, going to cream them." Max said confidently.

"She's never won a match against Natsu. Even with seven years of training, she can't possibly match him and Gray at the same time." Lucy remarked.

"That's where you're wrong. Rette's in a completely different league now." Wakaba said, blowing out smoke.

They watched as Rette lead Natsu and Gray a good distance from the guild hall before turning to face them. Even Laxus din't believe that Rette had grown that much in power and he knew Rette always held back in a fight against her guild mates. She would never take the fight seriously, let alone beat Natsu and Gray together.

Across the field, Rette's eyes shifted from Natsu to Gray. She knew that, despite how much they fought, Natsu and Gray could pull off some pretty good team work. Natsu was strong, Gray just behind him in power, and they were both tricky.

But she was trickier.

And they no longer knew her.

Rette saw the first attack before either moved. Both attacked from either side with a punch. Rette first dodged the flames of Natsu's punch, grabbing him by the forearm to hold him in place. She didn't bother dodging Gray's. He, just like Lyon, was an ill match for Rette. Rette, instead, kicked out a foot, landing the kick to Gray's chest with enough force to knock him off his feet.

Twisting, Rette, with a show of strength, yanked Natsu off his feet and sent him flying into Gray. The two tumbled together away from Rette, surprised by the increase in her physical strength. When they came to a stop, Gray shoved Natsu off him with a complaint. Instead of fighting with each other, though, they focused on Rette. Rette heaved a sigh when they charged in, head first. She couldn't think of a time when a straight on attack ever worked.

She readied herself and when they neared, she stomped her right foot on the ground. Crystals shot up out of the ground, spreading out around Rette in a wide circle, covering a vast amount of land around her. The crystals knocked Natsu and Gray off balance and made it hard for them to keep their feet on the slippery surface. Rette, though, climbed a out crop of crystal without slipping once, putting her over their heads. In a position high up in the center of her field of crystals, she was at the advantage.

"Oh, this is going to be real bad. You never want to face Rette in a field of crystals." Wakaba remarked.

"She's at the clear advantage now." Alzack agreed.

"I know she uses Crystallization magic, but she's already formed the field. How can she use it?" Erza asked.

"Rette has picked up a few new tricks over the years and she's really come into her own with her Dragon Slayer magic." Bisca replied.

"Rette's a Dragon Slayer?" Laxus asked.

"That's right. You weren't in the guild when we found out. Yeah, she was raised by two dragons and is the Crystal Dragon Slayer and the Ice Dragon Slayer." Max said.

"Just watch. If you thought Rette was hard to pin down before, she's grown even more so." Jet said.

They turned back as Natsu and Gray attacked again. Rette simply stepped off her perch and let herself fall to the crystal covered ground below. Instead of landing on the ground, right in Natsu and Gray's path...Rette sank into the crystal under her feet. Natsu and Gray, shocked, slammed into the crystal.

What the hell had happened!?

While they wondered that, Rette came out of a crystal boulder behind them and hit them hard from behind, slamming them into the ground. She jumped over them, sinking into another crystal boulder. Jaws dropped as they watched Rette disappear into one piece of crystal only to reappear from another.

"We told you. When Rette lays down field like that, she can come and go out of any crystal out there as she pleases. Good luck catching her." Droy said.

Natsu and Gray seemed to catch on to this and started destroying the crystals in their search for Rette. But even that didn't seem to worry Rette. She came flying out of a crystal, already mixing together a spell.

"Heavenly Body of the left and Crystallization of the right...Crystallized Heavens Trifold Magic Circle..." Rette chanted, holding out a hand as three, midnight blue arrays in descending size appeared. "Crux Hell Storm!"

The storm of star shaped crystals rained down on Natsu and Gray, shredding their clothes and cutting their skin. The stars rockets past, zipping one way then the other, forming a constant attack. It knocked the two away from Rette and gave her the space she needed for the next spell. Mixing her Light of Creation magic with her Heavenly Body make, she threw a hand into the air over her head.

"Heavenly Starlight, Trifold Magic Circle...Illuminating Heavens!"

Three more magic arrays, growing smaller as they went down, appeared in the sky above her, covering a vast amount of ground. The amount to magic required to cast such a large spell would have to be big. That Rette could cast it with so little effort spoke of how much she had grown in the last seven years. The whole area was suddenly lit up with a bright light as beams of light like that of shooting stars, fell from the magic arrays, crashing into the ground around her and expanded to cover a large area around her. Everyone was forced to cover their eyes and brace themselves as the resulting explosion kicked up a fierce wind.

When the light cleared, Rette stood proud in the middle of a field of destruction and Natsu and Gray, beaten and battered, were forcing themselves to their feet.

"I know you two are capable of more than that." Rette said, facing them.

Gray and Natsu pushed themselves to their knees, catching their breath as they looked at Rette. She had definitely increased her magical power. There was no denying that. And if Natsu wasn't mistaken, she had just mixed Heavenly Body magic with her own. That was Jellal's magic. Add in her newly acquired ability to use her crystals to move from one spot to the next, and Rette had become a difficult opponent. But Natsu liked difficult opponents.

"I'm waiting." Rette called.

Natsu and Gray attacked again. Rette switched back to hand-to-hand combat, avoiding their fists and kicks. Erza, who had been the one to start her combat training with swords and fists, was proud to see how far Rette had taken it. Natsu attacked Rette from the right then, drawing her attention to him. When he had one of her hands tied up, Gray came at her from the left, a hammer of ice in his hands. Rette swung around at the last second, stopping the hammer, and, to Gray's surprise, took three large bites out of the hammer. Natsu and Gray stared at her wide eyed as she swallowed the ice.

They had completely forgotten she was the Ice Dragon Slayer.

Rette took a deep breath, turning on Natsu then. He should have seen it coming, but Rette's Ice Dragon's Roar, hit him in the face, sending him flying. Only his own flames kept him from freezing over with the ice blast. Turning back to Gray, Rette switched dragons, and let loose a Crystal Dragon's Roar on Gray.

"Did we forget to add that Rette's come to accept using her Dragon Slayer magic?" Warren asked sheepishly.

"Is there anything she hasn't been able to accomplish in the last seven years!?" Levy asked.

"Dating. She's had several offers, but has blown them all off." Max said certainly.

"Though we do think there is a reason for that." Bisca added.

Her eyes darted to Laxus, who raised an eyebrow back at her. Was she suggesting that Rette had waited those seven years for him? That couldn't be. After all...Rette had turned him down too. All eyes were drawn back to the fight when there was a large explosion that rocked the very ground. Rette was growing more and more serious as the fight went on, determined to evaluate rather or not Natsu and Gray, as representatives of the Tenrou team, had what it took to take back supporting the guild. She wouldn't pass it back to them until she was sure.

The others winced as Rette, crystal coating her fist, punched Natsu in the face. Rette was going to demolish the two if she got anymore serious than she already was. Romeo figured that Natsu and Gray deserved to know what they were dealing with. Cupping his mouth, he called out to Natsu and Gray as Rette moved into her next spell.

"Natsu! Gray! Be careful! Rette's...Rette's an S-class mage, now!" Romeo yelled.

All of the Tenrou team, even Natsu and Gray, turned wide, shocked eyes on Romeo. Rette...was an S-class mage!? But Rette hated the idea of a title, of a rank. A looming, somewhat annoyed, presence fell on Natus and Gray, reminding them that they were currently in the middle of a fight.

"You should never turn away from an opponent." came Rette's low voice.

Natsu and Gray, wide eyed and suddenly painfully aware of the level difference between them and Rette, turned to look at her. Her eyes were narrowed as she stood over them, a magic array coloring her right hand a pale blue-purple color.

"Twin Dragon Slayer Secret Arts...Diamond Shard Hail!"

The resulting blast bombarded the two with a storm of razor sharp, crystallized hail, sending the two tumbling end over end away from Rette.

"She's S-class now!?" Gajeel snapped out the question.

"Jura tested her, himself, and passed her a couple of years ago." Macao replied.

"But Rette hates the idea of being S-class. Or she use to." Lucy remarked.

"She still kind of does. She only undertook the evaluation in the first place because of us." Alzack told them.

"She did it so that she could take on the higher paying jobs that S-class mages pull in and support us financially." Bisca added.

"Rette...did that?" Makarov asked surprised.

While Rette had always been the type to do what she must for her guild, he had never thought she would take on so much responsibility in the guild. And here, he found that she had basically taken the whole guild onto her shoulders in an effort to support them through a tough time.

"Everything Rette's done in the last seven years, becoming S-class, accepting her Dragon Slayer magics, training day in and day out, taking on so many responsibilities...she did it all for us. She said that after losing all of you, she refused to allow any of us to suffer more than we had to. She's protected and provided for us for seven long years." Max remarked.

"Believe me, it's not lost on us how much we've imposed on her, how much she's taken care of us." Macao said.

Another exploding spell sent Natsu and Gray flying. Gray remained sitting on the ground, trying to catch his breath, but Natsu, never the one to give up a good fight, popped back to his feet. Rette though, looked like she had come to a conclusion and was done with the fight.

"That's enough. It's clear that the two of you aren't quite at my level. Not yet, anyway. This fight is over." Rette said.

"Not yet!" Natsu yelled, charging her.

Just as swiftly as Erza, Laxus, and Gildartz use to, Rette waited until Natsu reached her and then slammed a fist down heavily on the top of his head, driving him into the ground.

"I said that's enough, Natsu. Don't annoy me." Rette told him firmly.

The others had winced when Natsu's head collided with the ground. Max had been punched by Rette before and knew it wasn't a pleasant experience. To have his head slammed into the ground, yet again...it was no wonder that Natsu did stupid things.

"I told you. The way the world is now, I'm just above average in strength. If you can't beat me...I can't, on good conscious, hand the guild back over to you. I can't leave it to you to protect and support them and I won't." Rette said firmly, looking from Gray to Natsu. "I've spent seven years protecting them and supporting them and until I'm sure you, all of you, can once again take up the mantle...I refuse to hand it over. After everything they've been through, they deserve to know it's going to be alright." Rette said, her voice carrying to the others.

"Rette..." Natsu voiced.

"You have a lot of training you have to do." Rette said, turning and walking away from him and Gray. Max stepped up to her side as she neared the guild hall.

"Rette-"

Rette held up a hand to cut him off. She was so tired. Being the only pillar of support for her whole guild, for seven years, had made her so tired. She had never realized just how much work it was. But, no matter how tired she was, she would continue to do it until she could, with a clear heart and mind, hand over the mantle to Natsu and the others.

"If we're going to enter the Grand Magic Games, I have a lot of paper work to finish and everyone has a lot of training to do. Let's get to it." Rette said, patting Max on the shoulder as she passed.

Everyone watched her as she heaved a sigh and headed back into the guild hall, reaching up to rub two fingers into the back of her neck. Rette retreated to her table at the back of the guild hall where she almost always had piles of paper work waiting for her. The others watched as she got to work on the papers. Rette had done so much for them all. The amount she had done for the guild in their absence, wasn't lost on the members of the Tenrou team.

"You know...her birthday is the day after tomorrow." Bisca said.

All eyes turned to her and she smiled. She pointed to her wrist then.

"We gave her a charm bracelet for her twentieth birthday and we give her a new charm every year." Alzack added.

Rette's friends looked at each other. Rette's birthday was in two days and they had three months to train. Perhaps they could give back a little to Rette for all she had done.

Let her know that she was appreciated.

-0-0-0-0-

As part of an idea for Rette's birthday present, her friends needed her bracelet, but to ask her for it would raise suspicion. When it came to tasking someone with the chore of getting their hands on her bracelet without her knowing, Laxus volunteered. The idea of sending Laxus to get Rette's bracelet wasn't exactly one her friends liked, but Laxus was sure he could get it without her being the wiser. His means for doing such a thing, though, he left to their imaginations.

And it wasn't pretty what their imaginations supplied.

Laxus ignored them and, instead, went to speak to Thyme while Rette was in the back office going through paperwork with Makarov. It was strange for the others to see Laxus with his head together with Thyme, but from the expression on the little cat's face, it wasn't anything bad. She smiled and nodded eagerly to whatever Laxus requested and hurried off down the bar to join Lily, Carla, and Happy. When the three asked her what Laxus had said, Thyme mimicked locking her lips and smiled brightly.

Wrapping up her work for the day, Rette came out to the bar to get Thyme. Thyme, smiling brighter than she normally did, climbed up onto Rette's shoulder. Rette gave her a questioning look but Thyme didn't reply. Shrugging her shoulders, Rette turned to Wendy and Carla.

"Are you two ready to head home?" Rette asked.

"Actually, we've finally got the last bit of money to pay off our back rent. We're going to move back into our place at Fairy Hills." Wendy told her.

"Oh? Alright. Good for you." Rette told her.

Truth be told, Rette had enjoyed having Wendy and Carla living with her and Thyme. After so many years of coming home to an empty house, she had enjoy the noise of several people in the house, coming and going. Wendy gave her a smile.

"Thank you for letting us stay there, Rette." Lucy told her.

"Not a problem." Rette told her.

Rette said her farewells and headed home. Laxus hung around the guild hall for a while before heading for Rette's house. Thyme had told him that Rette still lived in the same house on the cliff over looking their old guild hall. She had told him to wait until he saw the light of the room attached to the balcony turn off and then she would let him into the house after she was sure Rette was asleep. Laxus would then be able to snag the bracelet while Rette was asleep.

He waited outside, just below the balcony and watched the curtains pulled across the balcony doors. He could see Rette's shadow on the curtains as she walked across the room, removing and tossing clothes. She snagged something off a chair, pulled it over her head, before her shadow vanished from the curtains. A few moments later, the light went out. Laxus remained where he stood for about half an hour before the balcony door opened. That would be Thyme. Using his magic to help him get to the balcony, he met Thyme at the door. The little cat gave him a salute and trotted across the room and out the door.

The room was dark, but not too dark to see in. Rette left her bathroom door cracked open, the light inside, turned on. Laxus' crossed the room to the dresser but the only thing on top of it was pictures. He tried the vanity next. He figured out one thing about Rette as he looked over her vanity...she was OCD neat. Every brush, the minimal amount of make-up she had, everything was neatly in one place. There was a wooden chest on the vanity that looked like a jewelry box.

Laxus opened that. There were a few pairs of earrings, a ring or two, a few simple necklaces, and, though it didn't belong there, a small sewing kit. But no bracelet. That only left the night stand beside Rette's bed. Laxus turned, his eyes drawn to the bed and the person asleep in it. He walked over to the bed and looked down at Rette. Rette, dressed in a simple, but short, nightie, was laying on her right side, facing the balcony door, her blanket only pulled across her middle. Her short hair was fanned out over the pillow and now and then, her nose would wrinkle, as if she was having a nightmare.

From what Laxus had been told since coming back to the guild...she always had nightmares.

Laxus was tempted to reach out and wake her up, save her from the nightmare, but she would probably be more upset by him doing that than she would the nightmares. It didn't make him want to touch her, to swipe her hair out her face or to tuck her completely into bed, any less. He had to remind himself what he was there for and turned to the nightstand.

As he thought, hanging from a necklace rack along side a locket with the Fairy Tail emblem on the front, was the bracelet. Five charms shined from it. The others had told him every charm they had given her so far. There was the Fairy Tail emblem for her twentieth birthday, a dragon for her twenty-first, a four point star for her twenty-second, a stack of books for her twenty-third, and a cat with wings for her twenty-fourth birthday.

Careful not to make any noise, he snagged the bracelet from it's spot. Curious about the locket though, he picked it up and opened it. A magic hologram picture of their whole guild before the Tenrou team had vanished, appeared. It even had Laxus, himself, among it. Rette had probably kept it close since she had gotten it. Though she would deny it, she seemed to be the sentimental type.

"Mmh...Laxus..."

Laxus froze when he heard Rette mutter his name. He glanced over at her, wondering if she had woken up, but she was still asleep. She had...spoken his name in her sleep? It made him really curious as to what she was dreaming about. He watched as her nose wrinkled and she shifted in her sleep.

"Laxus, you jerk...come home..."

Reaching out blindly in her sleep, Rette latched onto one of her spare pillows and dragged it to her chest, wrapping her arms tightly around it. Was she...dreaming about him still being gone? Had he really worried her that much in the seven years they had been apart? Crouching down next to the bed, he reached out and carefully tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear. Rette muttered in her sleep and buried her nose further into her pillow.

"Sorry." Laxus said lowly.

He wouldn't say it to her face, couldn't say it to her face because she would then question why, but he really did mean it. He hadn't meant to worry her, especially not for that long, but that was how things had played out. He really needed to think of a great birthday present for her, to make it up to her, even just a little. He looked at her for just a moment longer before getting to his feet. He snagged the bracelet and retreated back out of her room. He made sure to close the doors behind him, hearing the lock automatically click back into place. Thyme would take care of any lingering bits of his scent, so even Rette's Dragon Slayer nose wouldn't pick up anything.

He dropped the bracelet off at the guild hall where the others would carry out their surprise for Rette, and left, wandering the streets of Magnolia as he tried to think of something to give Rette. It had to be special, but aside from their guild and their friends, there wasn't really much he could think of that was special to Rette. Of course, she loved to read and liked to make little outfits for Thyme. There were several things he could get her just knowing that, but he didn't want to get her something practical. He wanted to get her something that she would cherish as much as she had cherished the bracelet the others had gotten together to give her. Something she would use and that would mean something to her.

Then Laxus remembered a conversation he had had with her once.

A grin curled his lips as he recalled what she had said and an idea popped into his head. Picking up his pace, he headed into town. He wasn't sure if the reason behind the idea still stood true for Rette, but at least he had put considerable thought into it.

That had to mean something.

-0-0-0-0-

She couldn't believe this!

Rette's eyes scanned the street as she walked, snagging on everything that lay on the ground. One hand was wrapped around the wrist of the other, her panic level starting to inch up bit by bit. She could have sworn she made it home with her charm bracelet the night before, but when she had woken up that morning, she couldn't find the bracelet anywhere. Thyme had already headed to the guild hall, so Rette couldn't ask her if she had seen it. Now, as Rette headed for the guild hall, she could feel panic setting in.

That bracelet had meant a lot to her. The others had bought it special for her and had had the charms made special every year. How was she going to face her friends and tell them that she had lost the bracelet? Yeah, it was just a bracelet, a material possession that could be replaced, but that wasn't the point. In a time when money had been tight, her friends had pooled their money to pay for one special thing to celebrate the day of Rette's birth.

The feelings behind the bracelet meant more to her than anything else.

Rette was feeling about as big as a grain of sand and guilty as hell when she walked into the guild hall. Once again, as she had been five years before when her friends had planned a surprised party for her birthday, Rette jolted when there was a loud cheer of "Happy Birthday, Rette!". Staring wide eyed at the guild hall before her, she pressed a hand to her pounding heart.

Staring back at her, grins on their faces, was every member of her guild, minus Gildartz. Floating orbs of brightly colors lights, streamers of various colors, and a large banner declaring, "Happy 25th Birthday, Rette", decorated the guild hall. A large cake about eight layers tall, sat on one table, the table next to it over flowing with brightly wrapped presents. Music was playing in the background and several of the tables had been moved to clear the middle of the guild hall floor.

Rette had completely forgotten that it was her birthday...again.

"Wha-"

Before Rette could even get that word out of her mouth, Natsu grabbed her by the arm and yanked her forward. Rette almost tripped over her feet as she followed him. Next thing she knew, she was sat in a chair and Levy had put one of the silly little birthday hats on her head.

"Surprised?" Levy asked.

"I...um...yes." Rette replied.

"You forgot it was your birthday, again, didn't you?" Max asked.

Rette reached up to scratch at one cheek, her eyes darting off to one side.

"How do you forget your own birthday!?" Gajeel asked.

"I've had a lot on my mind recently, alright." Rette retorted.

"Rette **always** forgets her birthday." Laki teased.

"I believe I've already given you an answer for that." Rette said, though she sounded like she was only putting a little effort into her retorts.

"Is something wrong, Rette?" Wendy asked.

Rette looked down at the floor and, to their surprise, her shoulders slumped. Rette's head went down and she started rubbing at her wrist.

"I appreciate everything, but...I...I lost my charm bracelet." Rette said.

"No, you didn't." Max assured her. "We took it."

"Thanks for try...wait...you **what**!?"

Rette's head snapped up, her sharp eyes landing on Max. Max knew that look. He instantly flinched back.

"But I put it on my night stand last night when I went to bed. How'd you get it?" Rette demanded.

Max instantly turned a pointing finger on Laxus who was sitting at the bar.

"Technically, Laxus took it!" Max said.

Laxus gave Max a sharp glare of his own, but he was forced to focus on Rette as she flew to her feet and rounded on him, her eyes blazing.

"You took it? Wait... **you were in my room**... **WHILE I WAS ASLEEP!?** "

Rette's voice was almost dripping venom in its intensity. It was half angry, half scandalized. As if she was more upset with the fact that he had been in her room while she was sleeping, than the fact that he had taken her beloved bracelet. Something he had never heard from her before. Laxus was sure she going to try to maim him now. But before Rette could so much as take a step, Thyme flew up in front of her and started waving her paws, carrying on a quick, silent conversation with Rette. Rette eyed her, almost as if she was about to doubt whatever it was that Thyme was telling her, but then Rette heaved a sigh and the thick tension around her faded away.

"Fine." Rette said. "But you should have told me from the beginning that it was you who took the bracelet out of my room."

Thyme smiled at Rette. Laxus knew Thyme had lied to Rette if she had told the girl that **she** had gotten the bracelet out of Rette's room, but he didn't say anything. Rette was more likely to let Thyme get away with it than him. And to think that there use to be a time when Thyme would hiss upon seeing him. Rette turned to the others, now suspicious.

"Why did you need my bracelet?" Rette asked.

"I'll explain that."

Rette turned to where Makarov was standing on a table. She frowned, her eyes going to his feet, but she didn't say anything. He was the master after all.

"The others told us about your birthday and the gift that they added to each year." Makarov told her, as Mira handed him a box wrapped in gold wrapping with Fairy Tail's emblem on the ribbon. "So, as a thank you for all you've done for the guild the last seven years, we decided to do this."

Makarov handed Rette the box. Curious, her eyebrow furrowed together, Rette took the box. She looked from the box to Makarov and back before untying the bow. When she pulled the lid off the box, she froze. Resting among a bed of fluffy, white cotton, was her charm bracelet, but instead of just the five charms her friends had already gifted her...the whole bracelet was now filled in with charms. Rette lifted it free of the box and sat the box aside to run her fingers over the charms.

Each new charm came from a different person and there was a charm to represent every member of the guild. A sword for Erza, a lone flame for Natsu, a key for Lucy, a snowflake for Gray, a cloud for Wendy, cards for Cana, a flower just like those on Mira's bracelet for Mira, a lightning bolt for Laxus, and so on. Rette stared at them, gently running fingers over each charm.

"I take it that you like them?" Mira asked.

"Like them? I love them. Thank you." Rette said, her eyes raising to look everyone over.

Everyone stared at the first true smile they had ever seen on Rette's face, curled her lips. It softened her expression, lighting her face up and make her prettier than usual. There was no denying that she loved the present.

"We should be the one thanking you. Macao and the others told me of everything you've done for the guild." Makarov told her.

"I only did what anyone else would have done to keep the guild going." Rette assured him.

"That aside, you deserve this day. So let's celebrate!" Makarov declared.

Loud cheers filled the guild hall. Mira helped Rette put on her improved charm bracelet. With it secure around her wrist, Rette was run through a long line of gifts. Most of it was practical use kind of things: books, trinkets, a dagger from Erza with a blue crystal melted into the very blade-which caused Rette's eyes to light up-and other small things. The last present that sat before her was a thin box about eight inches long. Rette opened it to find a thin, silver chain from which hung a simple charm. The charm was a yellow gem about the size of the end of Rette's thumb, and if Rette looked close enough, she could see magic symbols written on the gem itself.

The charm was warm to the touch, instantly warming her whole hand, the heat spreading to the rest of her arm, when she touched it. The magic that came off of it, was a little strange too. It was a mix of Freed, Laxus, and a mage she didn't know. Probably the person who had crafted the necklace in the first place.

"It's a gem that uses magic to light an area and warm your body at the same time."

Rette looked up to find Laxus dropping to sit in the chair next to her. His expression was cautious, as if he was trying not to hope for her approval of the gift. Rette looked back down at the necklace in her hands and then back at him, confusion in her eyes. Laxus looked away from her, reaching up to scratch his cheek, like she did when she felt awkward or embarrassed.

"You told me once that you dislike the cold and the dark. So...there you go. As long as you wear it, your magic energy will replenish it, so you'll never be cold or completely in the dark." Laxus told her.

Rette thought hard and finally remembered the one time she had told him about her dislike of the cold and dark. It had been when they had accidentally met up while Rette was on a job. It had been a passing comment. One she hadn't really expected him to remember. But remember he had and he had even gone out of his way to get a special gift just for that.

"Laxus..."

Laxus glanced at her, and froze. Rette's eyes had softened in a way he had never seen before. Not directed at him, at least. His heart skipped a beat at the sight of the expression. While he had been hoping for a favorable reaction to his gift, he hadn't expected her to make a face like that. That expression...that look...it would slay his heart.

"You big lug...you choose the strangest things to remember." Rette told him.

Laxus hadn't lived with her through the last seven years, but he knew her enough to know that that was Rette Talk for "I love it". She held out the necklace to him then.

"You have to put it on me." she told him.

Laxus gladly took the chain of the necklace. Rette turned in her chair to present her back to him. Reaching around her, Laxus looped the necklace around her neck and secured it in place. When it was safely in place, Rette turned back around, looking down at the necklace as she touched it with light finger tips. The moment it had been secured in place, the gem had started to warm her whole body. The usual, cold feeling she always had now since she had taken up training her Dragon Slayer magic again, was pushed away by the spreading warmth. Rette felt warm for the first time in a couple of years.

She looked up, scanning the rowdy guild hall, looking at all of her friends, before her eyes landed back on Laxus. She couldn't even begin to tell all of them just how much she had missed them and how much it meant to her to have them back.

"Thanks, Laxus. And...welcome home."

Laxus stared at her, ignoring the flash of a camera, his eyes locking on hers. While her expression was indifferent as always, her eyes, the eyes he thought of all the time, showed him just how much it meant to her and just how happy she was that things were back to normal.

"But Laxus..."

Laxus raised an eyebrow at her and he could have sworn he saw one corner of her mouth twitch a little as if she was fighting back laughter.

"You're still annoying."

Maybe a little too normal.

END

Kyandi: By the end of this time line's story, "You're annoying" is going to be your way of saying, "I love you".

Rette: I never said I even liked him.

Kyandi: Uh-huh...blow that smoke up someone else's butt.

Rette: Are you calling me a liar?

Kyandi: With her pants on fire.

Rette: Whatever.

Kyandi: Hehe! Well, I have to get to work on the next chapters, so, everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll return soon.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	12. Thunder Training

Kyandi: I have returned!

Rette: And with an announcement for all of those who missed it in the other story line.

Kyandi: Right. As a sort-of Christmas present for all of you lovelies, I'm going to be posting a lot of pictures of Rette on my deviantart account.

Rette: When she has them up, she'll supply you with her account name.

Kyandi: I kind of got stuck on drawing Rette, so there's a few different drawings here.

Rette: Including the short comic.

Kyandi: Oh, that won't be posted until after I finish the Grand Magic Games arc.

Rette: Right. So shall we move on?

Kyandi: Right. Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Kyandi: Hehe...I almost typed Prince of Tennis.

Rette: Wrong story.

Chapter 12 Thunder Training

"You sure you want to come with me?"

" _Lily said he and Gajeel were going alone._ "

Rette looked up from the bag she was packing to look at a slightly pouting Thyme sitting on the chest at the foot of her bed. It was early in the morning, the sun just rising and Rette was packing to set off. After Makarov had declared that they were going to take part in the Grand Magic Games, Rette had decided that she could use some training herself. She had had several of her fellow guild mates ask her to come with them.

Mira had asked her to come with her, Lisanna, Elfman, and Cana, but Rette had turned her down.

Erza had asked her to come with her, their team, and Levy's team, but Rette had turned her down, too.

Rette had originally planned to go training by herself. It was what she had done for the last seven years. She had also originally thought that Thyme would insist on going with Lily, but, according to Thyme, Lily and Gajeel were going off alone. Which lead to the currently pouting Thyme.

"Well, sometimes, boys just want to do things alone. You know...boy time." Rette told her.

" _He's never had a problem with me tagging along before._ " came Thyme's voice in Rette's head.

"Try not to sound so clingy and needy, Thyme. Let him have these three months apart and he might find he misses you too much to be apart like that again." Rette told her.

Thyme just heaved a sigh before turning to look at Rette. Rette was just closing her bag, her charm bracelet jiggling as she moved.

" _Where are we going for training?_ " Thyme asked.

"I haven't decided. We might just leave and see where the wind takes us in the next three months. Usually I spend my training time alone...or with Jellal and his group. But they've been busy these days. I don't want to intrude." Rette replied.

Just then, both of them perked up as a knock on the front door rang up the stairs. Rette and Thyme looked at each other, Rette raising an eyebrow. Who would be there so early in the morning? Leaving her bag sitting on her bed, Rette headed for the front door. Thyme slid down the banister of the stairs, coming to a stop at the bottom and sitting there, watching as Rette went to the front door. When Rette pulled the door open, she was surprised to find Laxus with Evergreen, Bixlow, and Freed behind him, standing on her door step.

"Laxus? What are the four of you doing here?" she asked.

"I figured you'd be up this early." Laxus remarked, looking down at her.

"Morning, Rette." Freed greeted. "Can we come in?"

Rette peered over her shoulder at Thyme, who shrugged her shoulders. Rette turned back to look at her four guild mates, before she stepped aside and let them into the house. She closed the door behind them and lead them into the kitchen, where she offered them all a drink.

"You've changed a lot in the house." Evergreen remarked.

The whole house was now in the same color scheme as her purple and gold bedroom, the little table that use to be in the kitchen, was replace with a larger one, and it looked like Rette had recently built on to the house.

"I've added two downstairs bedrooms and a bathroom and have re-painted the whole house." Rette said, leaning back against a counter, a cup of coffee in her hands. "Before all of you came back, I would rent out a room now and then to help bring in money for the guild."

"You really have done a lot for the guild in the last seven years." Bixlow remarked.

"I did what I had to. So why are you four here? I thought you were leaving for training today." Rette remarked, taking a drink of her coffee.

"That's why we're here." Freed told her.

One of Rette's eyebrows shot up in questioning. What exactly did their training have to do with her? Wait...Rette had a feeling she knew the answer to that. Evergreen, Bixlow, and Freed turned to Laxus, expecting him to tell her. Laxus didn't look like he wanted to be the one to say it, but with enough needling from the others, he didn't have much of a choice.

"We came to ask if you would join us for training." Laxus muttered, refusing to look at her.

Rette turned her eyes to Thyme, who was silently laughing behind her paws. They both knew that it had to be difficult for Laxus to come and ask Rette, himself, to join them for training. Rette really couldn't help it. She just had to tease him a little.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't quite hear that." Rette said.

Laxus' eyes shot towards her, flashing. He knew what she was doing but when she just raised both eyebrows in reply, he knew he would have to repeat the request or he would never get an answer from her.

"Will you come training with us?" he asked, this time louder.

Even Freed, Bixlow, and Evergreen were fighting back laughter. Rette sat her coffee cup down on the counter behind her and braced her hands behind her. She crossed her legs at the ankles and tilted her head to one side.

"Well, I don't know. I mean you asked so nicely and if you really just **have** to have me along..."

Laxus had the sudden urge to zap her. He knew she was teasing him, just like he had always done with her. He wasn't too thrilled to have her turn it on him, but he forced himself to focus on the meaning behind her teasing.

"Is that a yes or a no?" he asked tartly.

Rette turned her eyes to Thyme. They could tell there was a silent conversation flying between the two by how intently they were looking at each other. Finally Rette just lift her shoulders in a simple shrug and turned her eyes back to Laxus.

"Well, we didn't really have any plans, so...sure. We'll come along." Rette answered.

Evergreen, with a cheer, flew out of her chair and hugged Rette. They had been hoping she would say yes and when they had heard that she had turned down both Erza and Mira, they were pretty sure she would agree.

"You should just join the Thunder Legion already." Bixlow remarked.

"Thanks, but no. I already have a team." Rette replied.

"Then why aren't you with them?" Laxus asked.

"Sometimes a girl just has to do something a little different. Besides...I wanted to see how much stronger they could get without me around. Natsu's never lost to me before. Its bound to have lit a fire in him. He would have spent the whole three months challenging me instead of properly training if I had gone with them." Rette told him.

"Yet you don't mind such a thing with us." Freed remarked.

"Not really. I highly doubt any of you would be as easily distracted as Natsu. Besides...I'm kind of curious on how I'd stacked up against Laxus now." Rette said, her eyes focusing on Laxus.

Laxus looked up, meeting her eyes. From the look in her eyes, she was actually being serious. She had stood her ground and out powered Natsu and Gray together. Natsu, with Gajeel's help had once beaten Laxus. Now Rette was curious if she stood a chance against him where, seven years ago, she hadn't.

"Maybe we'll find out." Laxus remarked.

"Oh, I know we will. If you're going to train with me then I'm going to run you through your paces." Rette promised.

Perhaps it wasn't the right emotions to have at the moment, but Laxus felt a thrilling mix of forboding and anticipation. He had seen what she had done against Natsu and Gray, but he was curious to see how she would handle him.

"Looking forward to it." Laxus told her.

A small smile curled Rette's lips. She pushed herself away from the counter, sliding out of Evergreen's hug.

"Then let's get going, shall we?"

-0-0-0-0-

"So you do get motion sick like Natsu and I."

She was laughing.

Rette was laughing at him even if she wasn't physically doing so. Laxus could hear it in her voice. He turned towards her, giving her a hard look, but Rette would never be intimidated by looks alone. They had just gotten off a train and while Laxus was still trying to get his stomach under control, Rette, who had been more visibly effected by her motion sickness, had already bounced back. She stood a few feet in front of where he was sitting, hands clasped behind her back as she watched him.

"I had wondered about it. It truly must be a Dragon Slayer thing. Perhaps it marks a milestone in power level." Rette remarked.

"You sound too cheerful about that." Laxus remarked.

"I just found out that it's not just me and Natsu. Of course I sound cheerful. Though I would never tell Natsu. We'd never hear the end of it if he found out you get motion sick too." Rette remarked.

Laxus was grateful she didn't feel inclined to tell Natsu, but he had to wonder how she was able to jump back from her motion sickness so quickly. When he didn't say anything, just stared at the ground for a moment, Rette's hand suddenly appeared in front of his eyes.

"Here."

Laxus looked up at her and then back down at her hand. In her hand was a small vial with a clear liquid inside.

"It's a potion to help with the sickness. If you drink it, it'll help the queasy feeling go away quicker. I have several more, so you take this one." she offered.

Laxus accepted it with a curt thanks and downed it. It had a bit of a sweet taste to it, but otherwise, he barely noticed it. As soon as it was swallowed, he could feel his stomach settling.

"What is this?" he asked.

"About five years back, when my motion sickness got worse, I went in search of some book of potions that might give me a cure or even just something to handle it better. I found the recipe for that. It doesn't keep you from experiencing motion sickness but it does help you get over the effects faster." Rette told him.

"Wow...Rette, you're pretty smart." Bixlow remarked.

"Please try not to sound so surprised." Rette retorted. "Where are we, anyway?"

Rette looked around them. All she could see, past the town's edges, was miles and miles of woodland. She didn't remember having ever passed through this part of Fiore in the years she had traveled with Thyme.

"East Fiore. There are several isolated areas around here that are perfect for training." Freed told her.

"Sounds ideal." Rette remarked.

Laxus got to his feet then. If they wanted to get to the spot where they would carry out their training before dawn, they would need to get moving. They had spent all day on a train and already the sun was starting to set. Rette picked up her bag, Thyme dropping to sit on her shoulder. Together, the six of them started walking through the town. Evergreen, happy not to be the only female in the group for once, chatted with Rette as they walked. Half way through a sentence, something over head, caught her attention. Rette stopped and turned to look up into the sky, making the others stop.

"Rette?" Freed asked.

"Shooting star." Rette replied, pointing up into the sky.

The others looked up at the sky, watching as the shooting star shot across the sky, thousands upon thousands of stars lighting the night sky. No matter how many times she saw the night sky, Rette never got tired of it. When one spent the first part of their life never seeing the sky, it made them all the more grateful for the sight. The belief was, if Rette remembered right, that if you wished upon a shooting star, the wish would come true.

Rette already had her wish.

She had all she really wanted in her life. Her guild was happy, her friends back where they belonged. They were safe and sound, everyone working hard for each other. What more could she ask for? Yes, she could ask for more money, she could ask for fame, or, in Rette's case, she could ask freedom from the shadow her father still cast on her life, but at the moment, she was too grateful for what she had to bother thinking about what she didn't have. She had always believed that people needed to be grateful for what they had, no matter how little it was, because it could always be worse.

Besides...she had never really wanted fame.

"Knowing Lucy and the others...they're probably staring at the same sky, right now." Rette remarked. "Perhaps everyone is."

Laxus and the others smiled. Everyone in the guild, looking at the same sky, huh? It made them feel like that no matter how far they went, everyone in their guild were still together as long as they could see the same stars, the same sky. They would all try their hardest and when it was all said and done, they would all return home.

Because they were a family and that was what a family did.

Now reminded what they were training for, they moved on, hurrying out of town and into the woodlands beyond. Rette found out, a few hours later, that Laxus actually kept a cabin deep in the woodlands where he would go if he felt like training or simply getting away from others. He had gone ahead of them earlier in the week and stocked the cabin with necessities.

When they reached the cabin, it become a matter of simply deciding who got the four beds in the cabin and who got the couch. Rette glanced in the separate rooms, at the beds. One bed was large, probably a queen size, and was sat in what had to be the master bedroom. Two were full size, big enough to just barely accomadate Bixlow and Laxus, and sat in the second bedroom. The fourth was a roll-away bed in the living room.

"I've got an idea." Rette said, turning to the others.

They all turned to her as she jabbed a thumb over her shoulder at the bed in the master room.

"Evergreen and I can share the large bed. That way, no one has to sleep on the couch. You don't have a problem with that, do you Evergreen?" Rette asked.

"Not at all." Evergreen agreed with a smile, stepping up to Rette's side.

The two girls turned to look at the boys then, Evergreen smiling and a sly looking look on Rette's face.

"That means we get the master bedroom." Rette remarked.

Laxus wanted to argue, because that was really his room, but Rette's logic and solution was solid. Heaving her bag up on her shoulder, Evergreen laughing lowly, Rette flashed them a quick grin before following Evergreen into the room. Laxus knew that would leave him and Bixlow in the second room and Freed on the roll-away bed. But it was late and none of them really wanted to argue. Everyone split up to get settled. By the time Freed made a pot of tea to help sooth everyone into sleep and the guys had finished getting their things settled, it was well after midnight.

"Looks like the girls are already asleep." Bixlow remarked, standing in the doorway to the master bedroom.

Laxus and Freed joined him. All lights were off in the room, but that didn't make much different. Rette was wearing the necklace Laxus had given her for her birthday and the stone was adding a low light to the room. It wasn't as bright as actual lights since it was tucked under the blanket with Rette, but it added enough light to see the girls by.

Evergreen and Rette lay back to back and Thyme was curled up under the protective loop of one of Rette's arms. All three were already sound asleep but, for once, Rette's brow wasn't creased and her nose wasn't wrinkled, as it normally was when she slept. As if she wasn't, for once, having a nightmare. Maybe it was his pride or ego talking, but Laxus couldn't help but wondering it if was because of his gift. Maybe, maybe not.

He certainly wasn't going to ask.

-0-0-0-0-

Laxus was awoken early the next morning to the smell of food filling the cabin. He got out of bed, Bixlow waking up at the sound of Laxus going through his bag for a change of clothes. When they stepped into the living room, Evergreen was just coming out of the master bedroom and Freed was coming out of the bathroom, both dressed and ready for training. Following their noses, all four headed through the swinging doorway that lead to the kitchen. They found Rette, an apron covering her clothes, standing in front of the stove, cooking. Thyme was flying around the kitchen, setting places at the table. She spotted them, her ears perking up, which sent the bell earrings in her kitty ears, jingling. Rette, at the sound, turned to look over her shoulder.

"Oh...morning." she called in greeting.

"You should have awoken me, Rette. I'll help." Freed offered.

"No, it's fine. I'm almost done. Just have a seat." Rette replied.

With the ease of practice, they watched as she gave the pan in hand a jerk, sending the pancakes inside, flipping into the air. With Rette's insistence, they sat down at the table. Eggs, bacon, sliced fruit, toast, and several other things were already set out on the table. Rette flipped the pancakes in the pan onto a plate already stacked with them, killed the flame on the stove and came to the table, setting the plate down. She removed the apron and joined them, Thyme perching on a stack of books set in a chair.

"You made all of this, Rette?" Bixlow asked, looking around.

"I'm a decent cook. Have to be if I want food worth eating." Rette remarked.

They loaded their plates, and each of them took a hesitant bite, wondering if they could trust Rette's opinion of her own cooking. Rette watched them with a raised eyebrow.

"Wow! It really is good!" Bixlow said.

"Surprise, surprise. You do realized that about half of the food served in the guild hall, is cooked by me, right?" Rette asked, getting her own food.

None of them had realized that. They had thought that Rette simply worked serving people and cleaning. Laxus was surprised she found time to hone cooking skills with how much work she did on a daily basis. But she was a good cook. The eggs were light and fluffy, the pancakes the same, the bacon was crisp but not burned, hash browns the right mix of crisp and soft. Tasting the food and seeing how effortless she had handled cooking, Laxus really could see Rette as a house wife. Though if he said that to her, she would probably use the frying pan to whack him upside the head.

Not a pleasant image.

"I'm helping tomorrow." Freed told Rette.

"Only if you can wake up before me." Rette replied.

Freed smiled, knowing she was just teasing him. Of course, he would try to wake up before her, and it would probably turn into a back and forth contest to see which of them would wake up first. It turned out that that would just be the first of many contest to erupt between Rette and several of them throughout the day.

As they moved from breakfast and onto training, to test how far Rette had gotten with the enchantment magic he had started to teach her before the incident on Tenrou Island, Freed challenged Rette to a contest to see who could lay the strongest, defensive enchantments. Laxus would be the one to test them. Rette accepted the challenge and the two got to work. Evergreen put her money on Rette to win this little contest while Bixlow put his on Freed. Though he claimed he wasn't taking sides, Laxus secretly put his bet on Rette.

Rette wasn't one to take any kind of training half-hearted. Once she decided to learn a new type of magic, she didn't give up until she had completely learned all there was to learn about it and had twisted it to make it her own. She had had seven years on Freed. By now...the magic would be completely twisted to her will. Laxus had no doubt that she would beat Freed in this little contest. Not to mention that it was a good way to start training since it would test both Rette's and Freed's abilities and strength, as well as test Laxus' power.

When Rette and Freed were crouched inside their enchantments and ready, Evergreen, with Thyme in her arms, and Bixlow, retreated to a safe distance. Laxus decided to start out at only half power, his lightning hitting their barriers with a crack. Both barriers held up, the yellow bolts dancing along the surface. From there, Laxus increased the amount of power, seeing how high he would have to go before one of their barriers, if not both, shattered.

Rette buckled down, focusing hard on her ruins, feeding them a steady and constant stream of magical power. Compared to having Jellal and Ultear attacking her at once, the amount of power Laxus was putting in was easy to handle. As he increased his power, Rette did too. By the time Laxus would reach his max level it would be just a matter of which one of them could stand up to it. Rette threw a glance in Freed's direction. A slight sweat had broken out on Freed's forehead and his magic was becoming a little unstable as he fought to keep up with the increase of pressure on his barrier. Any minute now, his barrier would go.

Laxus was approaching eighty-five percent power when Freed couldn't hold up his barrier anymore. The barrier shattered and Rette whistle lowly as Freed received quite the shock. She would have gone to check on him, but she was still under attack herself and needed to focus on her own barrier. It became a test of will power and strength between her and Laxus, the two seeing which one of them would give out first. Laxus increased his power to full force, giving her all he had.

Rette flinched slightly at just how heavy his power felt against her barrier. She hadn't had anyone throw magic this strong at her since she last participated in the Grand Magic Games. Her barrier wavered slightly, but Rette buckled down on it. While her attacks could still use some work, her defenses were among the best. She wouldn't let Laxus beat her.

And he didn't **beat** her, per say.

Right when they were both sure they were going to reach their limit, they both gave out at the same time, Rette's barrier shattering as Laxus' lightning tapered off. Rette received a mild shock that frizzed her hair out.

"Wow! That was awesome, Rette!" Evergreen cheered. "I knew you'd beat Freed!"

Evergreen ran up to Rette as she got to her feet. Freed was on his hands and knees, his head hanging at his lose. Bixlow was knelt next to him, patting his shoulder, a huge grin on his face.

"Well I did have a great teacher teach me the basics and to be fair...I have had seven years over Freed." Rette remarked.

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Rette." Freed told her.

"Who said I was trying to cheer you up? I was just stating the truth." Rette replied.

That only had Freed's head hanging lower. Bixlow and Evergreen laughed as Laxus walked up to them. Rette put her hands on her hips as she looked down at Freed.

"Well, I did tell all of you that I've gotten stronger. I'm an S-class mage now and Jura was the one that tested me. I'd have to be strong to meet his expectations." Rette said.

"I didn't expect you to have surpassed me in enchantments." Freed admitted.

"I don't do things half way, Freed. Not when it comes to my magic, I don't." Rette said. "Come on."

Rette held out a hand to Freed. Though still a little upset with himself, he took her hand and let her help him to his feet. They move on in their training, the boys working in a clearing near the cabin and the girls heading for a nearby lake. Several hours passed without Laxus, Freed, and Bixlow hearing from the girls. A little after noon, they went looking for the girls so they could eat lunch. What they found, made them stop at the edge of the trees.

Evergreen and Rette had changed into bathing suits. Evergreen's was a strapless, tiger-striped bikini while Rette was dressed in a purple bikini that had frills along the strings over the hips and little gold, lightning bolt charms hanging between the breasts. Both were wet from the lake water, Evergreen flying in the air with her fairy wings and Rette standing on an out crop of crystal that was growing up out of the lake. Several craters and outcrops of crystal littered the ground.

Thyme sat on a branch of a nearby trees, watching as the two women sized each other up. From the scrapes on both of them, they had been caught in a spar for quite some time. Or perhaps it was just one of many spars. At the moment, they were staring at each other, sizing each other up, and then, with a flash in their eyes, the two sprang into motion. Evergreen sent a shower of bullet-like dust flying in Rette's direction. With a mix of magic and a twist, a frozen, crystal shard filled whirlwind jumped up around Rette, protecting her and knocking Evergreen off balance.

Rette came flying out of the whirlwind, her body colliding with Evergreen's. In a pile of flailing limbs, the two went crashing into the water below. The water rippled and slowly went calm. A few seconds passed before Evergreen broke the surface of the water. She instantly swam to the nearest outcrop of crystal and started trying to pull herself up onto it. Rette came to the surface a little slower, the top half of her face, from the nose up, appearing from the water. Magenta-lavender eyes locked onto Evergreen like the eyes of a predator.

Evergreen turned to find Rette watching her closely and, realizing that she was clinging to crystal-Rette's element of choice-she shivered. She knew she was in a bad position. She became especially worried when Rette vanished back under the water. Evergreen scrambled up onto the outcrop because she had a feeling that at this moment, being on the crystal was safer than being in the water. When she was safe on the crystal, she searched the water. Rette had yet to come back up.

"Rette?" Evergreen called.

There was no reply. Not a single ripple in the water. Evergreen leaned over the water, looking, searching, trying to find Rette.

"Boo!"

Evergreen, with a scream, jumped as Rette appeared out of the crystal behind her, poking her in the sides and scaring the living day lights out of her. With a splash, Evergreen fell into the water. Gasping, Evergreen came back to the surface, shooting a glare at Rette, who was knelling on the crystal.

"That wasn't fair, Rette!" Evergreen complained.

"I never said I was fair." Rette replied.

As the two girls argued back and forth, Evergreen splashing Rette for scaring her, the guys stared. Rette was facing away from them, presenting them with the perfect view of Rette's barely covered back side. It was from this angle, that Laxus noticed a scar across the back of Rette's right thigh, near the curve of her back side. It looked like someone had once whipped with her with something. To be honest, though...that wasn't really what he was focusing on.

Just then, Thyme noticed the guys and as Thyme became aware of them, so did Rette. She stopped in the middle of a sentence and turned to look at them. Evergreen turned to see what she was looking at.

"Oh...Are you guys done?" Evergreen called.

Rette sat back on her heels and helped Evergreen out of the water.

"Yeah. We're gonna eat some lunch." Bixlow called back.

"Be there in a minute." Rette told them.

The guys headed back to the cabin. When the girls joined them, they were dry and dressed in their normal clothes. For Rette...it wasn't much of a difference. Since Rette had made breakfast, Freed took over making lunch. Rette took a seat next to Laxus, Evergreen on her other side. Instantly, Rette turned to Laxus.

"Get any good training in?" Rette asked.

"Suppose so." Laxus replied. "You two?"

"It was productive. That is...until you decided to stare at my back side."

Laxus didn't dare look at her. He couldn't tell if she was teasing, angry, or what just by her voice, but he didn't really want to look at her either. Rette leaned an arm on the table, tilting her head to the side to look up at his face.

"Not going to deny it?" she asked.

"And have you call me a liar? No." Laxus replied.

"Aw, that takes all of the fun out of it."

Laxus turned his eyes to her as she heaved a sigh and leaned back in her chair. One side of her mouth was scruncthed up, just slightly, suggesting that she was pouting. She crossed her legs and propped an elbow on the arm of the chair, leaning her cheek into the hand. She had honestly been teasing him, meaning...she didn't really care that he had been staring. A lot had certainly changed about her. Seven years ago, she would have slapped him for it.

He was glad that had changed.

Once they were done with lunch, it was back to training. This time, they all trained together. Laxus was surprised to find that Rette could take on the teacher or mentor role. She gave tips and tricks, showing Evergreen and even Freed and Bixlow, how to do a spell but conserve magic energy as well.

"Is there nothing you can't do?" Evergreen asked.

"Knitting. I can't knit to save my life. Uh...any magic involving plants. Droy tried to teach me his magic. Didn't work out. Same with fire magic. I can capture it in my Conductor Crystal and release it, but I couldn't learn how to use it myself." Rette replied easily.

"Natsu'd be happy to hear that." Bixlow remarked.

"I'm sure he would. There is one last thing I'm not good at." Rette said.

"What would that be?" Freed asked.

"Flirting. I suck at flirting."

Laxus couldn't help thinking that that couldn't be closer to the truth. But maybe, he could change that for her.

Or maybe not.

-0-0-0-0-

"You need what?"

Laxus, Evergreen, Freed, and Bixlow looked over at Rette. With training, and some fun, the last two and a half months had passed pretty fast. Over that time, they had found out that Rette was no push over. She worked hard and long, knew her limits and that of those around her and could push them all to those limits without ever crossing the line. It was a slow progress, but they had all manage to grow in the time they had spent there. It was now a little before lunch time and the mini-communication crystal Rette kept on her, had begun to flash, signalling someone trying to get a hold of her.

Rette had retreated a bit from them to answer the call. They didn't know who it was and all Laxus had picked up was a male voice. Rette kept her back to them as she spoke to the crystal.

"No, no. It's not really a problem. Where? I'm training with Laxus and his group. You remember Laxus, right?" came Rette's voice, low and soft.

They couldn't hear the reply but from the way Rette glanced over her shoulder and didn't bother trying to remind the person who Laxus was, they assumed he knew. They heard the distant, inaudible voice speak for a moment before Rette heaved a sigh.

"I suppose I could. Yeah...yeah, I know. No, don't worry. I won't tell him." Rette said.

The man on the other end of the connection said something and Rette let out a little laugh. She shifted to lean one hip against the side of the cabin, where she stood.

"I didn't take you as someone to be wary of a guy like Laxus. It's not like he'd have a reason to do anything to you, anyway." Rette said, lowering her voice even more.

Freed, Bixlow, and Evergreen looked at each other before glancing at Laxus. The way Rette was talking to the mystery man, it sounded like the two were really close. Add in her half of the conversation, and they could take it to mean that Rette had a secret boyfriend and he didn't want Laxus to know. Laxus, apparently, thought that was the case for his jaw was clenched in a look of displeasure.

"Yeah...I'll be there as soon as I can. Uh-huh...yeah...sure, but you owe me."

With that, Rette ended the connection, tucked away the crystal and turned back to her friends. She raised an eyebrow as she approached them, her eyes taking in their expressions.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

"You're leaving?" Laxus replied with a question of his own.

Rette stared at him, one eyebrow inching up just a little higher. If she didn't know any better, she would say he almost sounded...angry. While she had agreed to train with them and could understand a small level of disappointment and possibly annoyance, she didn't see that there should be a reason for him to be angry with her departure.

"I'm afraid so. I've been asked to do something and I owe this person a favor." Rette replied.

"And he doesn't want you to tell me." Laxus stated.

Wait...was that **jealousy** in his voice? Rette really didn't see the point in that. It wasn't like she was dating Laxus. He had no reason to be angry or jealous if she decided to go see another guy. And it wasn't like she was blowing them off or anything. She had told them the truth.

"He doesn't want me to tell anyone about us meeting. You've obviously misunderstood something if you're angry with me. He begged a favor of me and after he helped me during a rough time, I'm more than willing to help him. If you don't want to take that at face value, then that's your issue, not mine. I really don't see why you're angry." Rette told him.

If anything, that just made Laxus crabbier. But instead of saying anything to her in response, he turned away from her, his arms crossed. Rette shook her head and turned to the others instead.

"I'll see all of you back at the guild hall before the start of the Games." she told them.

They nodded and said good bye. When they tried to get Laxus to say good bye to Rette, the man walked off. Rette heaved a sigh. Sometimes, Laxus could be so childish. She assured the others that it was fine and headed into the cabin to gather her things. Laxus' immature behavior made her wonder one thing.

How would he have acted if he knew the guy had been Jellal?

-0-0-0-0-

Three months...in the human world...

During Natsu's and his friends' training, one of Lucy's spirits, Virgo, had shown up, giving them a story that the celestial world was in danger. In truth, she had just been luring them to the celestial world for a welcome back party the spirits wanted to throw for Lucy and her friends. They had partied the day away, thinking that one day wouldn't hurt their training, only to find out that one day in the celestial world, equaled three months in the human world. All of their training time was gone.

Virgo returned them home only for them to find that they only had five days left before the Grand Magic Games would start. Depressed that they had lost all of their precious training time, the whole group sulked around, wondering what they were going to do now.

"The Grand Magic Games are in just five days!" Droy remarked.

"We haven't increased our magic power at all!" Jet added.

"I guess we have no choice but to let other people compete this time." Levy said.

Both she and Juvia sighed in disappointment. Happy was depressed that now, the gap in power between him and Lily had grown. Erza wasn't ready to let it go just yet.

"We can still make it if we start now! We're gonna have a five day crash training from hell! Every one of you better get ready! There won't even be time to sleep!" Erza declared.

Before she could get anymore worked up than she already was, a bird with a note attached to its leg, swooped down from the sky and landed on her head, the leg with the note, extended. They removed the note and read it aloud.

"'To Fairy Tail..come to the suspension bridge deep in the west woods.'."

It was a short and direct note and though they had their suspicions about doing as it said, they followed the notes directions, finding themselves at one end of a destroyed bridge. Natsu, thinking it was a trap of some kind, was already gearing up for a fight, pounding one fist into the palm of another.

"Why are you getting ready to fight?" Wendy asked.

"Nobody's here...what the hell?" Natsu asked.

"Was it a prank?" Gray asked.

"I told you we shouldn't have come." Lucy remarked.

They looked around, not seeing anyone around. Who could have called them there, was beyond them. Then, right before their eyes, the bridge begin to repair itself until it was as good as new. It connected to the cliff opposite of them, forming a sturdy path for them.

"This must be our invitation." Erza remarked.

"This might be a trap, after all." Levy said.

"I don't know who it would be, but let's go for it!" Natsu declared.

Agreeing with him, the others followed as Natsu headed across the bridge and into the forest beyond. They didn't walk too far before four cloaked figures appeared ahead of them. They approached cautiously, wondering who these people were. As they did near them, they picked up on a magic energy they knew well.

"Wait a minute...this is..."

As Erza voiced this, one figure broke away from the others and approached them. Natsu tensed up but then a hand came out from under the hood to swipe it back. Staring back at him was a pair of magenta-lavender eyes he knew well.

"Rette!" they all exclaimed.

"Hey." Rette greeted.

Thyme popped up out of the cloak, greeting them all with a wave of a paw. They all stared at Rette. They had been sure that she had gone with Laxus and his crew for training. So what was she doing here?

"What are you doing here?" Gray asked.

"I got called out here to full fill a favor for some...old friends." Rette said.

Rette turned towards the other three figures behind her. She nodded, gesturing towards the three, making her friends look at them.

"I believe you know my friends." Rette told them.

The three stepped forward, pulling their hoods down as the middle person, Jellal, thanked the others for coming. They all stared in surprise, finding themselves standing before Jellal, Ultear, and Meledy. But only half as shocked as they were to find out that Rette had not only found them, but seemed to be on friendly terms with all of them.

"Jellal..." Erza voiced.

"Rette was right, you haven't changed a bit, Erza...So, I'm sure you've all heard about my jail break by now?" Jellal asked. "Rette said she over heard one of your guild mates tell you, Erza."

Erza looked at Rette, who shrugged her shoulders. Rette over heard a lot of things she shouldn't. She had a knack for it and thus, was nosy quite a bit.

"Though, to be honest...it's not what I had planned." Jellal remarked.

"Meledy and I broke him out." Ultear explained.

"I didn't do anything. You did it all by yourself, mostly, Ultear." Meledy replied.

Erza turned to Rette then, staring at her.

"How did you find them?" Erza asked.

Rette folded her arms behind her back, rocking back on her heels. There was a faint smile on her face as Thyme giggled behind one paw.

"My heightened sense for magic allows me to track magical energy without the need of casting a tracking spell. It was actually kind of easy for me." Rette replied.

"Truthfully, when we broke Jellal out, the Magic Council recruited Rette to help track him down." Ultear said.

"Misleading them and then claiming I couldn't find him, was actually kind of amusing." Rette remarked.

"So that's how you learned Heavenly Body magic to mix it with your own?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah. I think it was time well spent, too. They've helped me train off and on for the last six or so years." Rette confirmed.

"You took that risk for him?" Erza asked.

"I'd always take that chance for a friend or a friend of a dear friend. He's both." Rette said in reply.

With that said, Rette turned to Gray as he refused to let any of them get near Ultear and Meledy because they had once been apart of Grimoire Heart.

"That makes them our enemies...isn't that right?" Gray asked, looking at Ultear.

"Yes. The sins I've committed throughout my life are many...Even if I spent my entire life atoning, it wouldn't be enough. So...I want to at least save as many people as I can, that I encounter throughout my life. For example, Jellal." Ultear said.

"It's fine. You and I both wrestle with the darkness...this is an old story." Jellal told her.

"A lot of people "wrestle with darkness", Jellal. You aren't the only ones that have to atone for something in your lives." Rette reminded him.

Jellal looked up at her and nodded. Curious as to what exactly had passed between the group of three and Rette in the last six years, Natsu and the others looked between them, but Rette didn't bother to explain and Jellal, Ultear, and Meledy weren't talking either. Erza knew she couldn't make Rette talk if she didn't want to and she had a more pressing question in her mind.

"Jellal...how's your memory?" Erza asked.

"It's all there. Every last detail. Six years ago...when I was still in prison, my memory came back. Erza...I don't know what I'm suppose to say." Jellal told her.

"I was responsible for what happened to you on that paradise island. Jellal was controlling me, though...so please, don't blame me too much." Ultear added.

"I thought I was going to die in prison...the death penalty...that's what I received. Up until Ultear broke me out, that is." Jellal said.

"So, does that mean you've found some reason to live now?" Wendy asked.

Jellal looked down at Wendy, remembering that she had once mistaken him for another man she had known when she was younger.

"Wendy...I should tell you...the Jellal that you know and me...aren't the same people." Jellal told her.

"Ah...yes! I've already figured that out." Wendy assured him.

Jellal nodded and turned to address the question she had asked him about finding a reason to live.

"A reason to live...it's not something so wonderful as that. We created a guild. It's not a legitimate guild, nor is it a dark guild...we are an independent guild...Crime Sorciere." Jellal answered.

"An independent guild?" Levy asked.

"What does that mean?" Happy asked.

"So, they're not part of the federation?" Carla asked.

"I've heard of Crime Sorciere." Droy said.

"They've destroyed many, many dark guilds over the years." Jet added.

"Our guild is here to drive away all of the evil brought into this world by dark guilds and Zeref. So that never again will dark mages like us be born and never again...will an innocent be force to suffer at their hands." Jellal said.

When he said this last part, he glanced in Rette's direction. Rette acted like she didn't notice, but her friends knew she did. So Rette had told Jellal of her father? They couldn't ask her because she waved it off.

"But then why don't you become an official guild through the council?" Gray asked.

"Really? Are you really that dense?" Rette asked, looking at him.

"What?" Gray asked.

"She means it's because I'm a fugitive." Jellal answered.

"And because we're former Grimoire Heart members." Meledy added.

Honestly though, the answer had been pretty obvious in Rette's opinion. Sometimes she wondered if Gray had been dropped on his head as a baby. But then again, at other times, he could be pretty smart. The question was...why couldn't he always be smart?

"Besides that, they can't go after dark guilds if they're an official guild. We are prohibited from doing so." Rette added.

"She's right. Our guild is fine the way it it." Jellal agreed.

"...So...the reason we summoned you here was not just to introduce ourselves. We've heard from Rette here, that you're entering the Grand Magic Games." Ultear said.

"Y...yeah..."

Rette looked at her friends. Something about the way that was said made her wonder if they were able to get any effective training in over the last three months. She had a feeling that they hadn't.

"We can't come near the event grounds...so it would appear we have a favor to ask of you." Ultear told them.

"Do you want us to sign one of you up?" Natsu asked. "We could do that for you."

"No. We've already asked Rette and she has agreed. In fact, she's done this for us once before and didn't come up with many results." Jellal said.

All eyes turned to Rette who spread her arms and shrugged. What could she say? She was a nosy person and the trade had been fair in her opinion.

"Every year, during the event...I've felt a strange magical force. I want to identify the source of that magic. About four years ago, Rette tried to find the source and could never identify what it was." Jellal said.

"I'm nosy by nature and the trade off between us was too promising to pass up, so I agreed to help. This year though...I'm just helping a friend." Rette added.

"What the heck?" Natsu asked.

"Fiore guilds are going to be there, correct? There's surely gonna be one or two suspicious magical forces." Lucy added.

"I thought that at first as well...but this magic had an evil presence to it, like Zeref's. Perhaps the presence is coming from us, since we've been so close to Zeref." Jellal remarked.

"I would have sensed it from you, if that was the case and I don't. Besides...it was thick in the city." Rette assured him.

"We want to know the true source of this magical force." Ultear insisted.

"From that, we might be able to track down where Zeref is." Jellal told them.

"Of course, winning or losing is a different story. We're going to be cheering on Fairy Tail from the shadows. But meanwhile, please search for the mysterious magic." Meledy asked of them.

"It sounds like you're on a wild goose chase, but we'll help you out." Erza promised.

"We appreciate it." Ultear replied.

"You sure, Erza?" Gray asked. "I feel uneasy about a mysterious magical force in a gathering of Fiore guilds."

"We'll give you compensation up front." Ultear promised.

"Food money!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Rent money!" Lucy added.

"Err...I didn't mean money. With my new improved Arc of Time...I can raise the level of your ability." Ultear told them.

"Oh, this is going to be fun to watch." Rette remarked.

When her friends turned questioning looks on her, one corner of her mouth curled slightly. She walked up behind Ultear, laying her hands on Ultear's shoulders and leaning a little around her too look at her friends.

"I've already gone through what she's talking about. You'll see." Rette told them. "She'll explain."

"A power up...I guess it's fine to think of it that way, but it's a bit different. Every mage has something like a container inside them that determines the limits of their magical power. In the case that the container becomes emptied, the eternano comes from the atmosphere and enters the body...after a while, the container is returned to normal. But...recent studies have identified a part of that container inside each mage that isn't normally used. A dormat potential power inside of everyone...Second Origin." Ultear explained.

That would explain the new depth and power to Rette's magic that they sensed when they had first seen her on Tenrou Island. She had already had Ultear give her access to her Second Origin.

"My Arc of Time can evolve your containers so that they're capable of using Second Origin. As I did for Rette. In other words, it will give a giant boost to your magical power, even more than any of the training you've done until now." Ultear finished.

The others cheered, happy to have some kind of boost considering their three months had been snatched from them. They happily accepted the offer. Ultear and Rette looked at each other and an evil grin curled Ultear's lips while there was a definite air of amusement to Rette. The two looked at them.

"But...you're going to have to endure pain greater than your wildest imagination." Ultear said.

"It'll make you feel like something is trying to rip you apart from the inside out." Rette added.

While the comment scared Levy and Wendy, Natsu tackled Ultear, over joyed as he hugged her. Rette stepped to the side to avoid being knocked over.

"I don't care! Thank you! Thank you! How can I thank you!? You're starting to look like a real woman!" Natsu said.

"I **am** a woman." Ultear replied.

With that decided, they all returned to the beach, finding a little cabin far away from anyone else. Natsu agreed to go first and let Ultear start the process. Rette perched herself on a boulder, crossing her legs and watched as the pain from the process caused Natsu to writhe on the ground, bending his body, gripping his throat, and rolling all over the place. Gray and Lucy stood off to one side, staring in horror and shock.

"You handled this with much more grace, Rette." Ultear remarked.

"Well, rolling all over the place like that, isn't going to do him any good. It'll just make him even more tired when it's all over with." Rette remarked.

"Well said." Ultear said before turning to the others. "Come on. It's not so easy to bring out someone's true potential."

"Hey...you sure it's okay?" Lucy asked.

"Exactly how painful is it?" Gray asked.

"I'd say it's the most painful thing I've ever felt, but as you can tell by this scar," Rette said, touching the scar on the stomach. "I've almost had my guts ripped out. But it's a close second."

"Wanna try a sense link?" Meledy offered.

"Hell no!" Gray snapped.

"Do we...have to go through that, too?" Levy asked.

"I wanna cry." Wendy added.

"Wendy...you're already crying." Rette remarked looking at the crying girl. "But as they say, the best path in life is narrow and difficult. You'll live."

That did nothing to make them feel better about the whole mess. Droy and Jet bowed out of the whole affair, heading back to their lodgings on the main beach. By the time the moon had risen in the sky, Erza and Jellal had returned from their little "chat" and all the rest of Rette's friends had been rendered incapacitated for the time being. Only Erza and Rette had remained standing. Of course, Rette had gone through hers years before.

"No one can move now, thanks to you." Erza remarked as they stood outside the cabin.

"How come you don't feel anything?" Ultear asked, a little disappointed.

"It's Erza. She's strong." Rette insisted.

None of them could argue with her even if Erza wanted to.

"We can't stay in one place for too long due to the nature of our guild. We're leaving now and leaving Rette with you." Jellal said. "Oh, and Rette...sorry about the trouble I caused you."

Erza glanced at Rette as she waved this off. She puffed out a sigh, blowing her bangs out away from her face for a moment.

"He'll get over it eventually." Rette told him. "I swear, sometimes I just don't understand him."

Erza raised an eyebrow in questioning and Rette promised to tell her later. Meledy and Ultear, though, looked at each other, Meledy giggling. It seemed that Jellal and Erza weren't the only ones good at lying to themselves sometimes.

"If you get any information about the mysterious magical force in the Grand Magic Games, let me know by carrier." Meledy said.

"No problem." Erza agreed.

Erza and Rette, with Thyme on her shoulder, saw the three off, Rette raising a hand to wave back to Meledy. When they vanished from sight, Erza heaved a sigh. Rette glanced at her before looking back off down the trail.

"You know he was lying, right?" Rette asked.

Erza turned to her in surprise, raising a questioning eyebrow at her. Rette turned towards her, a sly look to her face.

"Thyme went to check on you and I know everything she knows. Besides...after six years as their only outside acquaintance, I know him. He'd do anything to protect you." Rette told her.

Erza chuckled as she turned to look back down at the ground. She smiled, leaning slightly into Rette's side.

"Yeah, I know. He's such a clumsy liar. Just like before. It's not bad. This is our answer." Erza told her.

"Maybe, one day, that answer will change. You both deserve happiness." Rette replied.

"And you? What about you, Rette?" Erza asked.

"I still have a lot of work to do in my life before I can think about bringing someone else into it." Rette told her.

"You've done so much for the guild already." Erza replied. "Don't you want anything back?"

Rette turned to look at her. In the light of the moon, Erza could just make out the bright color of Rette's eyes. There was something there in her eyes, an emotion Erza couldn't put a name to.

"You, Natsu, the others, the whole guild...you've all already given me to two things I've ever wanted in this life and never thought I would have." Rette told her.

"We have?" Erza asked.

"Yes...You've given me a family that loves me and a home worth coming back to. I can't ask for more." Rette replied. "If, somewhere down the line, love comes along after I've fixed all the wrongs in my life, then I'll handle it then."

Erza, while touched that Rette loved them so much, was just glad it wasn't a flat out denial. Rette had changed a lot, and Erza was sure it was for the better. Then again, a lot of them had changed. Lucy, Gajeel, Laxus, even Erza, herself. But that was life, wasn't it? Ever changing.

The moment was ruined by Happy when the little blue cat called out to Erza and drew a heart in the sand with a break down the middle. It was in poor taste and Rette didn't blame Erza when she kicked the cat as far as she could.

"That done...we should get some rest. We'll need to head back to the guild as soon as we can." Rette called to Erza.

"You're right." Erza agreed.

The two settled in for sleep. Though she wouldn't say anything, Rette was actually pretty excited about the Games. She was looking forward to fighting along side her friends once more for a common goal and finally giving her guild back the respect they deserved.

With that thought, she went to sleep.

-0-0-0-0-

Grand Magic Games...once a year, this festival for mages is held. The royal capital of Crocas bustles, full with the mages of Fiore and the citizens who come to watch the tournaments. In the center of the city is the king of Fiore's palace, Mercurias, and in the mountains to the west, the Grand Magic Games is held in the Domus Flau.

Rette currently found herself in the middle of the city, all members of her team, save herself and Erza, collapsed on the ground, groaning and complaining.

"H...hey...I still don't feel so great about all this. We don't know for sure if that spell worked." Gray commented.

"Yeah, but I do feel like my magic power has increased. All my joints are still totally sore though." Lucy complained.

"Jeez, don't you guys feel embarrassed for yourselves?" Erza asked.

"I feel embarrassed being associated with them." Rette remarked.

Natsu and the others looked up at Rette where she sat on the very top of Erza's luggage cart, a book open in her hands. Thyme read along from where she sat on Rette's shoulder. Neither looked at the others as Rette flipped the page.

"I understand Rette, since she went through it years ago, but why are you completely fine, Erza?" Lucy asked.

"She probably had her second wind from the start." Gray supplied

"That actually makes a lot of sense, even to me." Rette called down.

They all agreed that Erza was more of a monster than she really should be. Rette glanced up from her book long enough to look around them. A few people were staring at them, looking from Erza, to Natsu, to Rette, who were all pretty well known. Rette, though, knew that most people stared at her because she had become well known after her little..."outburst" during the final event of the Games a few years back. Not to mention that she was also well known for her alias, The Nexus Mage. The fact that she could do something most people couldn't, was what made people talk about her.

Not to mention her temper.

"So, you guys finally made it."

Rette and Thyme turned their eyes to the side as Makarov, with Asuka on his shoulders, Bisca, Alzack, Levy, Jet, and Droy came walking towards them. Jet waved to them, Thyme raising a paw in a returned greeting.

"Let's get on with this event already! Kahahaha! We'll show 'em the power of Fairy Tail!" Makarov said, seemingly in high spirits.

Rette's attention, though, just like that of Natsu, was snagged as people nearby begun to talk about them. Rette heard comments about them being weak, as well as laughter.

"Who laughed just now!?" Natsu growled, angered by the laughter.

"Knock it off." Erza told him.

Two men laughed at them again, asking if they were going to come in last again and claiming that Sabertooth would dominate them. Rette leaned back on a hand.

"Ignore them, Natsu. It's not like they could do any better. Only those too afraid to try, or unable to do so, can laugh like idiots." Rette remarked.

The men stopped laughing, the people around them laughing at them instead. Rette's words had effectively painted them as idiots and, with a huff of anger, the two turned glares on Rette, one of them opening his mouth to say something to her. Rette's eyes narrowed in a glare of her own and, their faces going white, the two men turned and ran away. They had been to the Games four years ago when Rette had lost her temper.

"She's right, Natsu. Whoever wants to laugh, let 'em go ahead and laugh." Makarov told Natsu, who wasn't pleased with that.

"M'kay...so I don't have to hold it in any longer." Happy said.

With that, the blue exceed turned to Jet and Droy and laughed. Rette shook her head at him and his ridiculousness.

"Give every last bit of your strength, we're aiming for the number one guild in Fiore! So we can face Mavis, who saved our lives!" Makarov declared.

Every year, each guild picked five mages to form a team to represent the guild as a whole. When Rette had competed four years ago, she had done so under the condition that she got to pick her team. She had gone with Max and Alack, who had acted as her teammates on previous jobs, and Laki and Jet. For the most part, it had been a good team. Just not good enough.

When Rette and her friends had returned to the guild after their training, Makarov had picked Erza, Natsu, and Gray, naturally, and had finish the team off with Wendy and Lucy. The last two had been surprised and had demanded to know why Laxus and Gajeel, or even Rette, hadn't been added to the team over them. Makarov had told them that Laxus and Gajeel hadn't returned yet.

He hadn't given a reason why he didn't pick Rette.

Rette wasn't really surprised he had picked Lucy over her. Lucy had worked with Natsu, Gray, and Erza longer than Rette had, and, therefore, had better team chemistry with them. And when it came to rounding out a team, Rette knew that Wendy was a better choice too, because of her healing magic. But Rette had to admit...she was a little disappointed. She was still sulking a bit because of that. She had really been looking forward to taking part along side her team. Makarov looked up at Rette, who was staring intently at the words in her book.

"Are you still upset, Rette?" he asked.

"I'm not upset, Master. Just finishing a book." Rette replied.

Every single one of them knew...that was a bald face lie.

But none of them said anything to her. Rette could be a bit immature with how stubborn she could be. If they said anything about it, she would just dig her heels in even more. That was one thing that hadn't changed in the last seven years.

"Well...the matches will begin tomorrow. Unfortunately, we don't know anything about the rules." Makarov said.

"The competition changes every year." Alzack said, bending to pick up Asuka.

"Sharpshooting popped up the year we didn't come." Bisca said.

"The year I didn't come, it was a race." Jet added.

"It was a capture the emblem game the year I went." Rette added.

"Victory is based on who can dominate across several different kinds of competitions." Droy said.

"Which is why we begged Rette to go the year she went." Jet added.

All eyes went to Rette, who flipped a page in her book. They had all heard of the massive break in temper Rette had displayed during the final event the year she went. None of them could see Rette losing her temper like that, but didn't think the others were lying either. Erza figured that that was the reason Makarov didn't want Rette competing.

"I've read up on all the competitions of the past years, but they're always completely different." Levy agreed, moving on with the conversation.

Which was why most of them didn't understand why Makarov hadn't picked Rette to be on the team. Not only had Rette been to the Games before, her magic covered a wide set of skills. She was good with tracking, with defense, evasion, hiding, and even sneak attacks. But they were all sure that Makarov had a reason.

"Who cares! We'll just take on whatever comes up! Though I hope it's a battle!" Natsu said.

Of course he hoped it was a battle. Natsu lived to fight. Rette swore the boy loved getting beat up just as much as he loved beating up others. But they had a second reason for being there. Rette had been asked to keep her heightened sense peeled for any sign of the mysterious magic that Jellal had told them about. She had sensed it the moment she had walked into the city four years ago but so far, she had yet to sense anything resembling the magic she had felt back then.

"Erza, read the event rule book by tomorrow, okay?" Makarov said, shoving a thick book into Erza's hand.

"R-read this!?" Erza asked.

"Leave it to me! I brought wind reading glasses." Levy said, pulling her glassed out.

She put them on and took the book from Erza. With the glasses, she quickly read through the book. Rette had a pair of the glasses as well, but she didn't really like using them unless she was in a pinch for time. Which they were.

"If I were to summarize things, there are three really important points. First of all, each guild's master cannot participate." Levy read.

Rette could understand why. For the most part, the masters of the guilds were the strongest. In some cases, to put the master out there would completely tip the scales and then it would just be a one-sided battle and therefore no fun for the crowd to watch.

"Anyone without the guild's insignia cannot participate either, and must simply observe." Levy added.

"Well that's to be expected." Gray remarked.

"Each event will remain a secret up until right before they begin, at which point the rules will be explained. Ah! There's a warning written at the end...all participants must return to the lodgings by midnight." Levy added.

Rette knew the reason behind this, but she didn't say anything. She thought it best to let them figure it out on their own.

"So they're talking about tonight, right?" Gray asked.

"This is just like the story of Cinderella." Wendy added.

"Who's Cinderella?" Rette asked, peering down.

"You don't know that story? It's a fairy tale for children." Wendy told her.

"Yeah, well...I didn't hear children's stories growing up." Rette replied.

Right.

Wendy decided she would have to get the book and show it to Rette some time.

"We've still got plenty of time, though!" Natsu said, peering up at a clock built into a nearby building.

With that, he, Lucy, and Happy took off, suddenly all full of energy they hadn't had previously.

"We've come all the way to this huge city, we may as well hit the town!" Natsu cheered.

"Hey! Do you even know where the lodgings are!?" Erza called.

"Honeybone, right?!" Lucy called back.

"We'll be there by twelve, for sure!" Natsu added.

Erza was curious about the curfew thing. She glanced up at Rette for answers, but Rette pretended to be more interested in her book and to not see the look on Erza's face. With that, Erza, Rette, and Thyme, went on ahead to the lodgings. Rette helped Erza carrying her bags up to room that Erza would share with Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Wendy. When they walked into the room, they found six bed laid out, along with a little sitting area.

"I guess this is our room." Erza remarked.

"Since I'm not apart of the team for the Games, I'll be down the hall, sharing a room with Lisanna, Thyme, Cana, and Levy." Rette told her.

"Well, you can hang out in here, for now." Erza told her.

Rette nodded. They set down the bags and Erza began to look around the room. Erza searched the place, suspicious about this enforced curfew thing. Rette and Thyme helped her, though Rette was only doing it for appearance, and somehow, along the way, Erza coaxed Rette and Thyme into taking a bath with her. Rette found it strange to bathe with anyone other than Thyme, but it was another girl, so she wasn't too embarrassed. Even in the bath, Erza noticed that Rette didn't take off her choker. Or her charm bracelet, either. And the strange crystal bands remained around her wrists.

When they were done, Erza continued her search for a little bit, fiddled with her swords for a while, and finally sat on the bed, pulling her hair back, still wrapped only in a towel, just like Rette.

"There doesn't seem to be anything suspicious about it." Erza remarked.

"No." Rette agreed, glancing around the room.

"Oh well...hey, Rette. Come over here and let me mess with your hair." Erza called.

Rette looked over at Erza, one hand going to her hair. Mira and Lisanna had insisted on messing with her hair before, but that was when she actually had hair to mess with and it had been so long since anyone, except Asuka, had wanted to mess with her hair. It had begun to grow back slightly since the others had come back, but it was still short.

"But there's not much hair there." Rette said.

"It doesn't matter. Come on." Erza called.

Rette shrugged and walked over to the bed. She sat down on the floor in front of Erza and let her fiddle with her short hair. Rette sat there, liking the feeling of Erza's fingers moving through her hair. She had missed this in the last seven years.

"Your hair is so soft." Erza remarked.

"I guess..."

Erza shifted her eyes from the silky strands of pale silver hair in her hands to what part of Rette's face she could see from her angle. Rette sounded distracted and distant.

"Is something wrong, Rette?" Erza asked.

"Not really."

"You sound distant, more than usual. You only sound like that when you're lost in your head. Something's wrong." Erza remarked.

Rette let out a curt laugh. Since when had Erza become such an expert at reading her?

"In my head, you say...truly a fearsome place to be." Rette muttered.

Rette stiffened up for a moment when Erza leaned forward, resting her chin on the top of Rette's head. Her arms snaked around Rette's neck in a loose hug. Rette relaxed into the hug, leaning back against Erza.

"What's wrong, Rette?" Erza asked.

"You really want me to list off everything?" Rette asked.

"You know what I mean. What's wrong right now."

Rette heaved a sigh. She reached up, latching onto Erza's arms, but she didn't try to pull away, just sat there.

"Nothing's wrong. Not really. Just thinking too much. And realizing how much I've missed certain things over the last seven years." Rette told her.

Thinking too much...something that Rette had found herself doing a lot of since the others vanished on Tenrou Island. The seven year gap had really made Rette think about a lot of things. Usually, she lived a day at a time, just taking things as they came, never really planning ahead. But over the last seven years, she had realized that by doing that, she would never accomplish anything and that one day, something like what happened on Tenrou Island, could happen again. And this time, it could be her and she could turn out to not be as lucky as Natsu and the others.

And then there was the wondering. Wondering what the future held, wondering how long she could go on keeping secrets from her friends...wondering where her father was and when he would pop back into her life again. Because she knew he would. He was too stubborn to let her defy him as she had and let her get away with it. Just like Rette didn't let people get away for messing with what, and who, she claimed as hers, her father didn't let people get away with defying him.

She had kept her eyes peeled and her ears open for any sign of him in the last seven years. She had thought that maybe the reason he hadn't moved on her when she had settled down was because he had heard she was in Fairy Tail and he hadn't wanted to face all of the powerful mages in Fairy Tail. She had been sure that, with all those strong mages gone, he would take the chance to attack her. Another reason she had fought to gain strength. And yet...she hadn't heard anything about him or from him.

It made her uneasy.

"Rette...I'm sorry." Erza told her.

"What for?" Rette asked.

There was a lot Erza was sorry for. For leaving Rette to bare the burdens of the whole guild on her own for the last years, for suddenly vanishing when Rette still really needed them in her life, for not being there when Rette spent all those long nights completely alone. No matter how Rette had tried to make them see her, she wasn't a person that thrived in solidarity.

As if she could tell what Erza was thinking, Rette tightened her grip on Erza's arms.

"You have nothing to be sorry for Erza. It wasn't your fault that all of you were trapped those seven years. And you're back now, right?" Rette said.

Erza smiled, agreeing with Rette. Silence fell between them for a moment before Rette spoke up again, her voice a little hesitant when she spoke.

"Hey, Erza."

"Yes?" Erza asked.

"If you found out that someone close to you wasn't who you thought they were...wasn't **what** you thought they were...what would you do?" Rette asked.

Erza shifted, looking down at Rette's head as Rette pulled her knees up to her chest and hid her face in Erza's arms. Was Rette implying that she didn't think she was who or what Erza thought her to be? Whatever the case was, Erza could tell that the answer meant a lot to Rette and could possibly lead to Rette shutting them all out completely. Erza tightened her arms around Rette.

"We'd love you still. No matter what you're still hiding from us, Rette...you will always be our Rette. We'll love you no matter what, because you're apart of our family." Erza told her.

"What makes you think I'm hiding anything else?" Rette asked.

"Anyone who takes the time to watch you would know, despite how much you've opened up since joining Fairy Tail, that you are still guarding a part of yourself from everyone around you. And it's alright." Erza said, adding the last part when Rette opened her mouth to explain. "Everyone, when they first come to Fairy Tail, have secrets they keep. I did, Lucy did, even Gray and Natsu. But we'll always be here, waiting for the day when you believe you can tell us. We'll listen, but only when you're ready."

Rette grit her teeth. How could Erza be so sure they would accept everything that Rette still kept hidden? Then again, they had accepted everything so far. Maybe...one day...she could tell them. Maybe not. There were so many reasons why she couldn't. She loved her guild, loved every member in it, and would do anything for them. That was why...she couldn't tell them. She couldn't drag them into the dark world that Rette still had one foot in. But she couldn't tell Erza that.

"Thanks, Erza." Rette told her.

Whatever Rette may think, Erza knew she battled with herself. Whatever it was that Rette held back, it was something that her nightmares were made of. Erza didn't want to push her, so she simply hugged her. For a moment, silence stretched between them. Then, suddenly, Rette stiffened again, this time her muscles tensed so much, she shook slightly.

"Rette?" Erza asked.

"It's nothing. Just a cramp...I need to get up." Rette said, though her voice was stiff.

Erza released her, letting Rette get to her feet. For a moment, Rette stumbled and Erza was sure she was going to fall, but Rette caught herself and steadied herself. Erza watched her as she stumbled over to her bag and started pulling out clothes.

"I'm going to walk the cramp off and got get something to drink. Do you want anything?" Rette asked, as she started dressing.

Erza had a feeling that Rette was making an excuse to cover a lie, but she couldn't really call Rette out on it with no proof. She simply told Rette what she wanted to drink and watched as Rette left the room. Something wasn't right.

But what?

Outside the room, Rette leaned against the wall, pressing a hand to her chest. For a moment she fought to calm her heart and steady her breathe. What had just happened...had been happening a lot lately. It had started after Ultear had given her access to her Second Origin four years ago.

Fits.

Bouts of pain in her chest that stole her breath from her. They were short, but had grown in intensity lately, making her whole body go stiff and making her gasp for breath as her lungs refused to expand. Rette knew what they were. She had had a few smaller ones over the years since she was four.

Rette also knew the cause.

One hand went to Rette's throat, her fingers brushing over the stone in her choker. As if the mere touch calmed her, her heart slowed to normal and her breathing evened out. Taking a deep breath, Rette straightened herself. She forced herself to appear normal as she went down to the pub built into the inn and got drinks before returning to Erza's room. She couldn't let anyone know there was anything wrong. They would want to know why and Rette couldn't tell them that. She couldn't worry them either.

No.

She would just keep it to herself.

For now.

END

Kyandi: No worries, my lovelies. Soon all shall make sense.

Rette: She has to make it past the Grand Magic Games first.

Kyandi: Yes. And there is something else that happens after the Grand Magic Games that I think they'll enjoy.

Rette: Oh... **that**. Do we have to do that?

Kyandi: Yes! I've been planning it for too long to change my mind now!

Rette: Oh goodie...

Kyandi: It'll be fun. You'll see. Anyway, everyone enjoy and review. And look forward to the pictures of Rette!

Rette: We shall return soon.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	13. Day One

Kyandi: Happy holidays, everyone!

Rette: We come bearing gifts of chapters and pictures.

Kyandi: Right! As I promised, as a gift for you all, I have post several drawings on my deviantart account of Rette. All drawn by me. Go to tezzymoon. deviantart. com to see them.

Rette: And there's a spoiler.

Kyandi: Again, correct. As you all know, in this story line, Rette's love interest is Laxus, but I have yet to reveal her love interest in the other story line. One of the pictures I posted, reveals who that love interest is.

Rette: With that said, we'll be moving on.

Kyandi: Everyone enjoy and review and go view the pictures. I'd love to know everyone's opinion.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 13 Day One

"You guys...where have you been wandering around up till now!?"

Rette could have told her teammates, the moment they walked into the room, that they were going to be in trouble. Erza had given them a certain time to be back and they had come back way after that. So while Natsu, Lucy, and Gray sat on the floor in front of Erza, Rette sat in a chair with Thyme, watching in amusement.

"Just another boring dinner..." Gray answered, looking off to the side.

"Well...it's complicated...well...I mean...err..." Lucy said, also looking to the side.

Natsu didn't say anything, but he was shaking slightly. Both him and Happy were letting off an air of being highly annoyed. It made Rette wonder what had happened while they were out. Finally, the two could hold their annoyance in, no more.

"I'm gonna get those guys back, no matter what!" they shouted together.

Rette was curious as to who they were talking about. Had they run into another member of another team? Or was it locals laughing at them again? Rette, knowing the members of Sabertooth as she did, was willing to bet on the former.

"Anyway, where's Wendy?" Erza asked.

"She's late." Gray agreed.

"She should be with Carla, so I don't think they're lost." Happy remarked.

"It's almost midnight, though...that little girl is out there all alone...aaahhhh...what should we do..." Lucy remarked, her imagination getting away from her.

"Do all writers have this overactive imagination?" Gray asked.

"It's Wendy, Lucy. She has Carla with her and she's a pretty smart girl. I doubt she's doing anything bad." Rette remarked from where she sat. "If there's one thing I've learned over the last seven years, it's that the kids in Fairy Tail can be pretty bright when they want to be."

Just then the door to the room opened and Lisanna and Elfman walked in, bringing drinks and snacks with them. In the time they had been gone for training, Elfman had considerably bulked up and now had to duck and turn side ways to fit through the door.

"Yo! We brought snacks." Elfman said in greeting.

"Tomorrow's almost here." Lisanna added.

"Are you back from your mountain stay?" Natsu asked.

"We planned on it increasing our strength a lot...but we made a bad choice..." Elfman said, complaining about how he had wanted to show off in the games for his little sister.

Rette shook her head. She didn't see the point in wanting to show off for a certain person. Yes, Rette, herself, like to do things big and flashy when she knew she could shine just as brightly as others, but she mostly did that to prove that she couldn't be so easily pushed over. It was merely a means to an end. Lucy turned to Lisanna then.

"Hey, do you mind if I ask you a favor?" Lucy asked.

"What?" Lisanna asked as she sat the bag of snacks down.

"Well...Wendy hasn't come back to our lodging yet..." Lucy told her.

"We probably shouldn't go anywhere after twelve." Gray added.

"What happens at twelve?" Lisanna asked.

"I'm not really sure, but the rule said to "be here at twelve"." Gray replied.

The clock chimed then, signalling that it was midnight. Everyone turned to look at the clock on the wall. Rette got to her feet, holding Thyme in her arms.

"Looks like you're about to find out what happens." Rette remarked.

"Us? What about you?" Gray asked.

"I did take part four years ago." was all Rette said in reply.

For a moment, nothing happened. The city beyond the room's window, was silent. Then suddenly a loud voice filled the room, driving them all out onto the balcony. From there they could see spotlights lighting up the sky where a large, pumpkin headed mascot stood.

"To all the guilds here for the Grand Magic Games! Good morning! In order to reduce the participating teams from one hundred and thirteen down to eight...we will now begin a "preliminary event"." the mascot announced.

"Preliminary!?" Gray asked.

"No one said anything about that!" Erza added before turning on Rette. "You knew?"

Rette shrugged her shoulders idly. Personally, she couldn't believe the amount of guilds that had signed up for the Grand Magic Games. It was larger than any year yet. She hadn't even known that there was that many guilds in Fiore.

"Every year more and more guilds come. That's a sign that this event was starting to be taken too lightly. This year, we've brought the number of final competing teams down to eight. The preliminary rules are simple!" the mascot said.

Rette and her friends were suddenly tossed about as the building began to shake. Their lodgings, just like those of every guild taking part, suddenly rose into the air, above the rest of the city. Stairs formed, leading from the balconies of all the competing guilds' rooms. Those stairs all joined together to form a large sphere of pathways, half of which were side ways or upside down.

"You will all now compete with each other. The goal is the event grounds, Domus Flau. The first eight to make it will participate in the event. Your lodgings will be the starting line for this preliminary event. Feel free to use any magic you like. There are no restrictions. As long as you're one of the first eight teams to make it. But if all five of your members don't make it there, you still lose. And one more thing...we take no responsibility for anyone who loses their life in the labyrinth." the mascot announced. "The Grand Magic Game's preliminary event! Sky Labyrinth has begun!"

All of them stared up at the large sphere shaped labyrinth in the sky. While the over all event was different from the year Rette competed, the goal was still to reach Domus Flau. If anything, Rette found this task to be more difficult than the one she took part in.

"What is that?" Natsu asked.

"So we're trying to make it up there to the goal?" Lucy asked.

"If this is a competition, we'd better hurry." Gray agreed.

"Wait. The rules are that "five members" need to be at the goal. Wendy is still missing." Erza said.

That could be a problem. Rette was just about to offer to take her place, but Elfman scooped up Gray, Natsu, Lucy, and Erza and charged up the stairs, declaring that he would take Wendy's place, all before Rette could even open her mouth. Erza twisted to look back at the balcony.

"Lisanna! Rette! Happy, Thyme! Go look for Wendy! And try to stay out of trouble!" Erza called back.

"Okay! We'll go see who all of the guild members are here." Lisanna called back.

"Good luck, everybody!" Happy added.

When the five were out of sight, Lisanna and Rette turned to look at each other. They nodded before turning on their heels and heading out of the room.

"Thyme and I will go track Wendy, you and Happy tell the others." Rette told Lisanna.

Lisanna nodded and the four of them split up into two teams. Rette took off out an open window, her wings of light sprouting from her back. Together, she and Thyme flew through the air in search of their friend. She followed the trail of Wendy's and Carla's magical energy. She had just traced it to the gardens of the king's palace when Lisanna and Happy caught up to her.

"Rette!"

Rette turned to see the two heading her way.

"Have you found them?" Lisanna asked.

"No, but they're somewhere around here. I just don't know where. Their magical trail just suddenly died." Rette told her.

"What does that mean?" Lisanna asked worried.

"It could be various of things. She could have drained herself of magic by using it, someone else could have drained her magic, and several other things." Rette told her.

"Then we best get to looking." Lisanna said.

With a nod, the four head off, searching on foot. Rette knew Wendy and Carla were somewhere in the gardens, it was just a matter of finding where. She just hoped the two were alright. For their magic to suddenly vanish like that...Rette had learned over the last seven years that that usually meant trouble. Only trouble could make a mage from Fairy Tail use all their magic.

"Where did Wendy and Carla get off to?" Lisanna voiced after a while.

"Ah! Over there!" Happy, spotting something, pointed off down a side path.

They all turned and looked. Half way down the path lay the bag that Wendy had been carrying when she had split off from the others. Rette and Lisanna looked at each other before hurrying down the path, the exceeds following behind them. They picked up the bag as they passed it. Rette was starting to worry, but they found both Wendy and Carla passed out by a bush just a little further down the path. Rette crouched down next to them, checking them out.

"Are they alright?" Lisanna asked.

"That I can tell, yeah. Lets get them to the infirmary to make sure." Rette said, glancing around.

She felt a different, unknown magical energy that didn't feel too friendly. She had a feeling that it might have been the cause behind Wendy's and Carla's sudden collapse.

With some help from Lisanna, they draped Wendy over Rette's back and Lisanna picked up Carla. Together they carted the two to the infirmary where they could be looked after. When they were safely tucked into bed, Rette sent Thyme to inform the others of the current situation and then to go find one other person. It wasn't long before Natsu, Lucy, Elfman, Erza, and Gray came bursting in through the door.

"Wendy!" Natsu shouted.

"She was passed out by some bushes." Happy told him.

"There's no signs of external wounds." Lisanna added.

"Might not be any signs of external wounds, but I can't feel their magic at all." Rette remarked, a hand hovering over Wendy's form. "If it was done personally and on purpose, there should still be some sign of magic in them, but I'm not getting a thing. Someone else did this to them."

Rette didn't like the feeling. She couldn't think of it meaning anything good. More than likely it was a member of another team trying to mess with their chances. Observing the Games over the last few years, she had seen quite a few teams stoop that low. Just then Wendy cracked open her eyes and called Natsu lowly. Everyone turned to her, Natsu demanding to know what happened.

"I'm sorry...I can't remember very well..." Wendy said, wincing as she tried to move.

Rette pushed her back into the pillow, settling the blanket back around her.

"This must be magic power deficiency. Losing such a huge amount of magical power at once causes the entire body's physical strength to suffer."

Everyone turned as Porlyusica walked into the room.

"If she rest for a while, she should recover." Porlyusica told them.

"I see Thyme was successful in finding you. I'm glad." Rette said in greeting to the woman.

"Yes. Quite the persistent little feline." Porlyusica said, turning her eyes to the little silver cat.

"She always has been." Rette agreed.

"What are you doing here!?" Lisanna asked the old woman.

"Am I not allowed to come cheer you on?" Porlyusica asked.

"Of course you are." Lisanna replied.

"I asked her to come as Fairy Tail's medical advisor." Rette said, drawing attention to her. "I knew, given some of our members, that injuries were going to be common place. These Games can be brutal."

And there was Rette thinking ahead on the over all good of the guild once more. She had considered something that most of them hadn't even given a second thought to.

"A huge amount of magical power?" Erza asked.

"What could have happened..." Elfman mused.

"I can't remember too clearly...but I seem to recall some black creature..." Wendy said lowly.

"I did sense a strange magical energy in the area around them and, as I said, for that much magical power to vanish so suddenly and completely, it had to be the work of an outside source." Rette remarked.

"Could you place it?" Erza asked.

Rette shook her head. It wasn't a magical energy she knew, therefore she couldn't tell them who or what it had been. Wendy grit her teeth, her tiny fist curling under the blanket. She felt like she was letting them all down and had tears in her eyes when she turned her head to look at them.

"Everyone...I'm sorry...Even after...everything with the training...I can't be a part of the team." Wendy said, teary eyed. "Elfman...please go in my place."

"Of course! Just leave it to me." Elfman agreed.

With that Porlyusica kicked them out of the room, insisting that Wendy needed her sleep. The old woman turned her eyes on Rette when she was the last one in the room. Rette held up her hands, showing she would go willingly. She had learned over the years that Porlyusica was a good sort...as along as a person didn't push her. When she wanted someone gone, it was best to get gone. Before Rette left, she turned her eyes to Wendy.

"Just do as Porlyusica tells you, Wendy. She knows what she's doing. And don't worry. The event last for seven days. I have no doubt she'll have you fixed up before the end of the Games. Just rest." Rette told the girl.

Wendy gave her a smile and nodded. Rette pat her head, gave Porlyusica a grateful bow of her head and left the room. Rette joined the rest of her guild mates in the small section of the stands they occupied. She slipped in beside Lisanna, turning her eyes towards the arena below as the roar of the crowd filled her ears.

"The time has finally come, this year! The annual festival of magic! The Grand Magic Games! I'm your announcer, Chapati Lola. And former council member Mr. Yajima has joined us as commentator. Thank you for being here, Mr. Yajima." the announcer called out.

"My pleasure." Yajima replied.

"For day one's guest, we've invited the sparkling Miss Fiore, Jenny Realight of Blue Pegasus." Chapati added.

"We're gonna win this year, so look out!" came the cheerful voice of the young woman.

"The team members have finally entered. First off is the preliminary round's eight place. Will they be able to reclaim their past glory? Contrary to their name, they're the wild, rowdy Fairy Tail!" Chapati announced.

Rette looked below as Natsu lead his team of Gray, Lucy, Erza, and Elfman, onto the feild. Instantly boos filled the arena, people giving them a thumbs down.

"Even though they've gotten last place every single year but one, Fairy Tail managed to claw their way through the preliminaries. Though of course, they made it in eighth place. With the return of "Team Tenrou" who have been causing trouble all over the place, can they possibly become the top of Fiore!?" Chapati announced.

"I'm so glad to see you all..congratulations Fairy Tail." Yajima called, giving a thumbs up.

"Four years ago, when the guild participated, they took fifth place, all with the assistance from their Nexus Mage, Rette Starrilia, who doesn't seem to be participating this year. If I remember correctly, she dominated the events she participated in, even tying in a one-on-two battle with the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth." Chapati said.

Rette refused to acknowledge the looks that her guild mates and those in the crowd around them, threw her way. She had only tied with Sting and Rogue because the two had been younger and more inexperienced than she had been and because, thanks to her Territory of the Twin Dragons spells, she had had a little bit of an advantage. Despite Rette's and her team's past victories that year, the crowd still booed the Fairy Tail team, with only Yajima taking their side.

At least one person was on their side.

To make it better, all of Rette's guild mates around her screamed their cheers for their guild mates below. Makarov climbed onto the guard wall in front of Rette yelling out a loud cheer, Happy doing the same thing next to him. Thyme, from where she sat on Rette's shoulder, even threw her paws up in a little cheer for her friends. But about that time, Rette's attention snagged on one thing that had her eyes widening slightly.

Sitting on the guard wall at the end of their line of members, kicking her bare feet in the air and calling her own chanting cheer in support...was Mavis.

"Master Mavis!"

Shock ran through the members of the guild, Rette simply blinking in surprise. She hadn't expected to see Mavis again. And most certainly not away from Tenrou Island.

"I came to cheer you on." Mavis said simply.

"You came to cheer us on?...But you..."

Makarov trailed off, unable to find the right words to say.

"It's fine, don't worry. Only people with the guild crest on them can see me." Mavis assured them.

"I don't think that's exactly what he's worried about." Rette remarked from the other side of Makarov.

"Well...being stuck on Tenrou Island forever is really boring." Mavis replied cheerfully.

Rette turned to Lisanna on her other side.

"Is it me or have all of our masters been a little childish?" Rette asked.

Lisanna laughed and simply pat her shoulder. It had been an honest question but apparently, Lisanna hadn't taken it as such. Rette turned her attention back to the arena as Chapati announced the next team.

"Next up..is seventh place in the preliminaries...The hounds of Hell's army, Quatro Cerberus."

Down below, a group of all men dress in dog related accessories, like spiked collars around their necks, walked onto the field. Behind them came the team in sixth place which, on the opposite end of things, was pure female.

"Coming in sixth place, we have the all-female guild. The dancers of the deep blue seas, Mermaid Heel."

"A guild like that existed?!" Happy asked in surprise.

Rette didn't know how she would have done in an all-female guild. She was so use to the general rowdiness that came with her male guild mates. Not that she hadn't been given an offer to join Mermaid Heel a few years back.

"Fifth place is the azure wings that sparkle in the darkness, Blue Pegasus." Chapati called.

Ichiya lead Hibiki, Ren, Eve, and someone dressed in a large bunny costume, onto the field. Women all over the crowd, called out squealing cheers for their favorite Blue Pegasus boy on the team and Jenny, in the announcer's box, called a cheer to her guild mates.

"Fourth place...the goddess of love and war's sacred destroyers. Lamia Scale."

Lyon lead his team, made up of Toby, Yuka, Jura, and a little girl who looked a little like Cherie, onto the field, Jura currying their team's flag on one shoulder. Their guild master yelled at them about coming in fourth, claiming they hadn't been trying hard. The girl turned around to call something back and tripped over her own feet.

"Moving on, coming in third place we have...now this is quite a surprise, in third place we have a first time-competing guild! The midnight raiders, Raven Tail!"

Rette leaned forward to get a closer look at the members of this team. It was four men and one woman. Just looking at them made Rette uneasy. They didn't look like a bunch that often played fair. Rette had gotten good at spotting people of the bad sort over the years, and this group was definitely among that number. Not to mention that Rette had heard of them before. Raven Tail was suppose to be a dark guild...and one lead by Makarov's son, Ivan. In the years that Makarova had been missing, she had been keeping an eye out for Ivan, hoping to intercept him if he tried anything in Makarov's absence.

"A dark guild! The Grand Magic Games is okay with letting a guild like that participate!?" Makarov yelled.

"Master, calm down!" Macao said, trying to get him to settle down.

"I do feel a malicious force." Mavis said.

"Not only that...I feel the same magic as that that was present where we found Wendy." Rette added, her voice dropping in tone as her anger started to flicker to life.

From this distance and with so many other mages in the area, Rette couldn't tell exactly which member of the team it was that the magic energy was coming from, but she knew it was the same magic energy she had sensed in the area where they had found Wendy.

"Are you sure, Rette?" Lisanna asked as their guild mates all turned to look at Rette.

"I'm never mistaken about magical energies. It's the same slimy energy alright." Rette replied.

Lisanna laid a hand on Rette's shoulder, silently trying to calm Rette before her temper could get the best of her. Rette wasn't known for being too awfully reasonable when her anger got a hold of her.

"Well, according to our official information, Raven Tail existed over seven years ago. But had only been approved as an official guild recently." Chapati announced.

"If they're approved by the Magician's League, then that means they're not a dark guild, right?" Yajima added.

Makarov growled lowly to himself.

"Damn that Ivan...He's messing with me. How did he pull this off..." Makarov growled lowly.

Rette was going to have to keep her eyes on that guild. She didn't like the feeling she got from them and she had a feeling that they were up to no good.

"There's only two teams left that made it through the preliminaries. Here we go! The team who came in second in the preliminaries...Well, now..this is definitely unexpected! Could the flapping of their fallen wings really carry them all the way here?! It's the least expected..the unbelievable...Fairy Tail B team!"

Rette blinked once as Gajeel lead Mira, Laxus, Juvia, and, to Rette's surprise...Jellal dressed as Mystogan, onto the field. The crowd seemed just as confused as the members of Fairy Tail A.

"Well, it seems as though there's a lot of people still confused over the new revisions to the rules this year, don't you think, Mr. Yajima." Chapati said.

"That's right...this year, each guild can have not just one, but two teams enter into the tournament." Yajima explained.

Makarov cheered, claiming that that was how they did it in Fairy Tail. Rette didn't put it past Makarov to pull the two teams card, but that wasn't what concerned her. Rette reached out, laying a hand on Makarov's shoulder.

"Master...what is **he** doing here?" Rette asked.

Of course Rette wouldn't be concerned with how they had managed to end up with two teams. She had latched onto the fact that Jellal was pretending to be Mystogan. Makarov gave her a sheepish smile, but was reduced to apologizing over and over when Mavis pointed out that Jellal wasn't a member of the guild, which was against the rules.

"But, he's not "evil". It's strange, but he has the same "heart" as everyone else with the guild crest." Mavis said.

"It's kind of a long story, but I guess you could say he is a guild member." Happy said.

"For all tends and purposes, Jellal and Mystogan are the same person, so I suppose Happy is right in that account. I just wish he wouldn't put himself in danger's way like that." Rette said, her hands going to her hips.

"Is he strong?" Mavis asked.

"O...of course! That's the man who once held the celestial title!" Makarov assured her.

"I'll allow it." Mavis said. "For Fairy Tail's victory!"

Rette heaved a sigh, running a hand through her short hair.

"She's definitely a master of our guild." Rette muttered, Jet, Droy, and Levy chiming in their agreement from behind her.

"Now, for the last team that made it through the preliminary round...that's right! You all know who they are! The strongest! The invincible! The complete dominators! Sabertooth!"

The last team to walk out was group that Rette knew well. Sting and Rogue lead Orga, Rufus, and a girl Rette didn't know, out onto the field, Sting throwing both fists in the air. While Minerva wasn't there to set off Rette's temper, she did feel annoyed at the sight of the team. It brought back the anger she had felt at the hands of Minerva just to see them.

From the mocking wave Sting gave Natsu while Gajeel and Rogue had a staring contest, Rette had a feeling they had come in contact before. It was probably what had kept Natsu, Happy, and Lucy the night before.

Her eyes locked on the two. It was strange how life played out. She went from being the only Dragon Slayer she knew about eight years ago, to meeting first Natsu, then Laxus and Gajeel, then Wendy followed by Cobra, and then Sting and Rogue four years ago. By her count, that made eight Dragon Slayers, including herself. Rette was pulled out of her thoughts as Chapati moved on to the line-up of events.

"Thank you for waiting, here is your line-up!" Chapati called.

In the center of the arena field, a stone tablet appeared from the ground. Written upon it was all five days of events. Each day, except for the last day, was divided into a contest, or a game-like event, and a battle. Day one through three had normal, one-on-one battles, with a tag team battle taking place on day four. Day five had all question marks for that would be when the big, group event took place. All the contest parts, except for the first one, were still blank. It was pretty much the same set-up that they had every year, with only the actual events being changed.

"As far as the matches go, this is how the points will be distributed amongst first through eighth place. As the rankings fall, the amount of points received decreases." Chapati announced, a second tablet appearing.

Going down from first, the points went from ten points for first, eight points for second, six for third, four for fourth, three for fifth, two for sixth, one for seventh, and, of course, zero points for eighth place.

"For the contest part, you can select anyone from your guild to participate. For the following battle part, the organizers will pair up cards selected from the fans' votes." Chapati explained.

It was a pretty risky set up, in Rette's opinion, and she had found out why during the year she had competed. If the members of the teams weren't careful, they could have the bad luck of doing the contest and using up all of their magical energy, only to turn around and get picked for the battle portion. And the battle portion was pretty simple. The fighting pair had a certain time limit in which to beat their opponent. If they won, they got ten points for their team, if they lost, they got zero. But if they were unable to determine a winner in the time limit, both teams got five points.

"Without further ado, I bring you the Grand Magic Games' opening game! Let's begin, "Hidden"! Each team will have one participant. After each team submits their player, I'll explain the rules." Chapati called out.

Quatro Cerberos sent out a big guy name Yeager while Mermaid Heel went with a country looking girl named Beth. Raven Tail sent a short, pudgy looking guy named Narpuding and Blue Pegasus cheered on Eve as he stepped up to the plate. Sabertooth went with Rufus, who still had a sort of Renaissance theme to his dress style and, therefore, still really reminded Rette of Freed. Lamia Scale sent Lyon, which meant Gray stepped up for Fairy Tail A which lead to Juvia stepping up for Fairy Tail B.

Rette had a feeling that this wouldn't end well for either Fairy Tail team.

All participants were called to step forward for the game. With all of them gathered, the game was started. Instantly the field was transformed into an entire city in which the participants were placed. Doubles of the participants were then spread throughout the city. The point of the game was for the participants to locate each other among the countless doubles and then attack them. If they hit an actual person, it was a point towards their score. If they hit a double, missed contact, or were hit themselves, it was minus a point.

It was an automatic point deduction for Fairy Tail B when Juvia couldn't contain herself around the various Gray doubles and hugged one from behind. She was instantly zapped for her troubles. Rette heaved a sigh.

"This is going to be a very long contest for Juvia. She simply can't contain herself." Rette remarked, some of her guild mates agreeing.

The game moved on with Gray accidentally attacking a double thinking it was Nurpuding from Raven Tail. As the game went on, it became obvious that Raven Tail was aiming for Fairy Tail. Nurpuding took every chance to attack Gray. Several of the members of Fairy Tail ended up thinking that, in the case of a game like this, it would have been best to have someone like Rette in play. She could have located the other participants quickly and easily. Not to mention that she was hard to catch or hit if she wanted to avoid something.

Rette, though she didn't say anything, gave Makarov a pointed look.

Makarov refused to look at her.

As the game went on, Juvia took out Lyon before he could get Gray and it was revealed that Makarov had offered Team B a deal. Between the two teams of Fairy Tail, at the end of the tournament, the losing team had to do whatever the members of the winning team wanted for an entire day. Rette was suddenly grateful that she wasn't apart of that. She didn't even want to start wondering what the others would make her do.

At this point, Eve stepped in to turn the playing field into a winter wonderland, hoping to freeze his competition out. This, of course, didn't work on Lyon and Gray, who were ice mages and, therefore, use to the cold. But with the drop in temperature, Eve was able to easily locate three other participants and steal a three point lead, only to lose a point when Lyon attacked him from behind. Points were exchanged, back and forth, but there was one player Rette had yet to see on the screens.

Where was Rufus?

He soon showed himself, standing on a tall roof top in the very center of the arena. He claimed he had no reason to hide and using his magic, a magic called Memory Make, he attacked all seven of the other participants at once, only missing Nurpuding, who turned around and attacked him, only to find that what he had attacked, was an after image of Rufus who had already moved out of the way. Rufus then attacked him, gaining a seven point lead for Sabertooth in almost one fell swoop.

Rette couldn't help but think that nothing much had changed with Rufus over the years. He was still a rather arrogant individual. His whole team was that way, for that matter. Part of the reason why Rette dislike conversing with them.

The game ended soon after with Sabertooth in first, Raven Tail in second, Lamia Scale in third, Blue Pegasus in fourth, Mermaid Heel in fifth, Quatro Cerberus in sixth, Fairy Tail B in seventh, and Fairy Tail A in eighth. Rette had known it wasn't going to end well for their teams. Especially not with Juvia on the field, surrounded by a mass of Gray look-alikes. Now it was on to the battle portion of the day.

Gray, depressed with his lost, retreated, the crowd jeering at them. Natsu, angered by their mocking and taunts, got angry but Erza was able to rein him in. Gray, though, retreated to the locker rooms and the battle portion started with Lucy verses Raven Tail's Flare. Lucy went into the fight with a determined spirit that made Rette proud to be her friend.

The moment the match started, Lucy called out Taurus. Flare dodged his attack and Lucy switched Taurus out for Scorpio. Flare unraveled her braided back hair which then acted as shield for her. Apparently her magic involved her long, blood red hair. A magic Rette wouldn't be able to use, personally. Seeing it, Rette reached up and touched her short hair. Lucy called Taurus back out, the two spirits combining their attacks to attack Flare, who barely got away. Flare's hair turned into a wolf which then attacked Lucy. Since it was hair, Lucy summoned Cancer to cut the wolf to shreds.

Which only angered Flare.

Letting her hair dig its way into the ground, Flare attacked Lucy from underneath, her hair wrapping around Lucy's ankles to twist her feet out from under her. Lucy hit the ground, but she wouldn't be taken down so easily. She pulled her Fleuve D'etoiles whip from her belt, lashing it out at Flare to wrap it around Flare's wrist. With that grip, Lucy flipped, spinning them back in the air. They both hit the ground hard, Lucy's boots torn to shreds, but at least Lucy was free. Flare, angered by the damage she had received, dug her hair into the ground again.

Lucy looked around for where the hair would pop back up, but Flare merely pointed towards the stands where the rest of the Fairy Tail guild stood cheering. From where she stood, Lucy could see a wiggling strand of Flare's hair threatening to attack poor, little Asuka. Lucy tried to call a warning, but Flare wrapped her hair around Lucy's mouth and slammed her into the ground.

"Don't make a sound. This is an order." Flare told her. "I don't know what might happen if you disobey...no matter how much of a dimwitted blonde you are."

Lucy knew it was dirty. It was a low blow and completely unfair.

"Don't make a sound. Don't make a move. Don't use magic. If you disobey me, who knows what'll happen?" Flare said.

Lucy didn't know what she could do to save Asuka and, therefore...took the beating. Flare attacked her again and again, knocking Lucy around. Fearing for Asuka, Lucy didn't say a word, didn't fight back. Rette knew something was up. Lucy, though not the strongest member of their guild, was not this big of a push over. When Flare completely tied Lucy up and threatened to brand Raven Tail's emblem over Lucy's Fairy Tail emblem, Rette started searching for the cause for why Lucy would allow herself to be pushed around.

Rette locked onto it just as Natsu came flying toward them across the stands, yelling.

"Rette...it's Asuka!" Natsu yelled.

Rette's eyes found the red stand of hair. With a snap of her teeth in anger, Rette surged forward, grabbing the strand. She yanked it into her right hand, the strand instantly crystallizing. How dare she attack a child who couldn't even defend herself! Her anger flaring, Rette's fingers flexed around the crystallized hair. It shattered and crumbled away in her hand. Everyone turned to Rette in shock as she stomped one booted foot down on the pieces of crystallized hair, grinding it under her heel.

"Why is that in a place like this!?" Makarov asked.

"Lowly, underhanded..." Rette growled, her muttering low as she shot a glare down towards Flare.

Rette had never been one to fight fair in a fight when it was just her and no one else on her side to get hurt, but even she wouldn't stoop as low as to attack a defenseless child or to hold such a threat over another's head. It was lower than low, and Rette could hit pretty low.

Flare was shocked that they had caught on to her. Natsu, on the other hand, turned to Lucy now that Asuka was safe.

"Lucy! Now's your chance!" he yelled.

Lucy summoned Gemini to break free and had Gemini transform into her. Since the last time they copied her, Lucy had been about to get into the bath, the two transformed into Lucy dressed in nothing but a towel. Of course, the males in the crowd loved it.

"If Gemini changes into Erza or Laxus, it'd be unbeatable, right?" Jet asked.

"They can only copy someone with magical power close to their own." Rette told him.

"What's she trying to do, turning herself into two people?" Max asked.

Nab got annoyed as Bijiter started dancing his "Dance of Excitement". Rette waved her right hand and a fist sized chunk of crystal fell on Bijiter's head, effectively cutting off his dance. She turned her attention back to the match.

"I have a feeling we're about to find out what she has planned." Rette remarked.

Below, Lucy and Gemini joined hands, chanting the same spell.

"Measure the heavens, open them wide, all the stars of heaven. Overflowing with light, make thyself known to me. O Tetrabiblos...for I hold dominion over the stars. Complete thy aspect...Release thy malevolent gate. Eighty-eight of all the heavens...shine. Urano Metria!"

It was the ultimate spell of the stars and heavens. It was a spell that, even with Lucy's current magic level, could completely end this match in one blow. And Lucy would have succeed, if it wasn't for outside interference. Rette's head whipped towards the members of Raven Tail. She could feel a voiding magic coming from one of it's members. A magic that completely nullified Lucy's spell, leaving her with no more magic energy to use. Completely wiped of magic energy, Lucy's legs gave and she hit the ground.

"Ohh...Lucy is down! The match is over! The victor is Raven Tail's Flare Corona!" Chapati announced.

Rette turned to look at Makarov, her eyes flashing with anger.

"Master...one of her teammates nullified Lucy's magic. I could sense it." Rette told him.

"Those guys are dirty!" Romeo snapped.

"Ivan...are you hoping for a brawl outside!?" Makarov growled.

Laughter and jeering cheers sounded from the crowd, the people mocking Fairy Tail A for their complete failure on the first day. Natsu got Lucy, helping her up and carting her off the field. The second match of the day featured Blue Pegasus' Ren verses Mermaid Heel's Arania. Ren won the match, claiming that he couldn't stand to look uncool in front of his girlfriend. The third match was Quatro Cerberus' War Cry verses Sabertooth's Orga. It only took Orga one hit in less than a minute, to put War Cry out of the fight. And afterward, he sang a horrible song that, for some odd reason, the crowd loved. Rette shook her head.

"His singing hasn't improved one bit in four years." Rette remarked lowly.

The last match, had Rette heaving a sigh.

Jellal verses Jura.

Once again, Rette had a feeling of foreboding. She knew this was going to end badly. She had learned, in many years as the man's friend, that Jellal could go a little over board when in front of Erza. One reason why she had instantly been displeased when she had found out he was taking part as a part of their second team. Mavis made a doubtful look.

"You don't have to make a face like that, First!" Makarov assured her. "That man also held the same title in the past...so it'd be fair to say that their abilities are on par."

"I...I need to go to the restroom..."

Rette turned to look at Mavis as she said this, blinking. Just when she thought her guild couldn't get any stranger, they now had a spirit that apparently felt the need to pee. Would the strangeness ever end? And she had thought she had seen it all in the last seven years. Down in the arena, the match started. Jellal unbuckled the strap that currently held several magic staffs on his back, and attacked with those staffs just as Mystogan would have. Rette was only slightly surprised that Jellal was able to perfectly copy Mystogan's magic.

Jura countered the attack by making pillars of earth shoot up at Jellal's feet. Jellal moved quickly to avoid them and Jura had more come at him when he jumped into the air. Jellal twisted, avoiding the collision with the pillars of earth. He tossed his staffs, the five forming a circle around Jura.

"Five layered magic circle: Sacred Song!"

Jura saved himself and countered with a fist of earth. Jellal used a spell to reverse the fist's path back at Jura, who reversed it back. The attack landed, sending Jellal flying back. He caught himself and just as Rette thought, Jellal could no longer stick to just Mystogan's magic. He used his Meteor spell to move fast, bouncing off walls before coming straight for Jura. Jura tried to block but Jellal was too fast and he managed to land a hit on Jura. Jura tried to pin Jellal down and almost succeed, but couldn't quite land a blow. In all his evasive maneuvers, Jellal revealed that he had been laying his Grand Chariot spell.

Jura countered with his Rock Mountain spell. Rette was pretty sure that Jura, at least, had figure out who Jellal was. It was then that Jellal moved into a stance she knew. He had taught it to her when she was mixing Heavenly Body magic with her Light of Creation magic. He was going to cast his greatest spell; Sema. This would really reveal him to the everyone present. Just as the clouds started to spiral over head, Jellal suddenly snapped both hands over his mouth, as if his tongue was on fire, and then he started laughing, as if someone was tickling him.

Rette had a pretty good idea on what was going on. She was pretty sure that Ultear and Meledy with her Sensory Link, were involved. Whatever Ultear was doing to Meledy, it put Jellal out of the match, leaving Jura to win by default. Just when she was sure the opinion of Fairy Tail couldn't get any lower, Rette was proven wrong. She heaved a sigh as all of her guild mates stared in horror. With this lost, both Fairy Tail teams occupied the last two spots on the score board.

Day One ended in nothing but pure disaster.

-0-0-0-0-

"So pathetic...we've lined up everyone in Fairy Tail...and what losers you all are!"

"Cana...you're in Fairy Tail, too."

Cana, already half way to be drunker than she should be, looked up at Rette who sat across the table from her. The whole guild had retreated to a pub near to their lodgings and now sat in there, drinking and eating. Despite having lost Day one, everyone seemed in pretty good spirits.

"Yeah. You're talking awfully big for someone that was too busy touring the bars around here to come cheer for us." Elfman said.

"I was watching! All the bars have lacrimavision installed, you know." Cana replied.

"That really doesn't make the fact that you were drinking instead of being at the event, any better, Cana." Rette told her.

"Oh, shut up and have a drink!" Cana replied, shoving a mug towards Rette.

Rette shoved the mug back and picked up her wine glass instead. While she could handle drinking quite a bit of wine, the harder, more rough stuff that Cana gulped down like water, was a little too much for her.

"No thanks. I'll stick to wine." Rette replied.

"You're too stiff, Rette! You need to loosen up!" Cana insisted.

"I don't need to drink hard liquor to loosen up. Besides...I'm not a big fan of the person I become when drunk and with that stuff...drunk I will be." Rette told her.

"I am! You're hilarious!" Cana declared.

"Gee...thanks."

Rette had found out a long time back, after Cana had insisted she had at least one drink with her, that she was what Cana called, an "emotional drunk". Meaning that Rette spilled every little emotion when drunk. If she wasn't hanging off someone's neck telling them every emotion that she felt, she was throwing herself at others, telling them how much she loved them. Rette hated it and had decided that heavier alcohols and too much of alcohol in general, wasn't for her.

Who knew what someone could talk her into when she was drunk.

"But it was quite the first day, huh." Erza remarked.

"Yeah...we both have to try our best starting tomorrow." Mira agreed.

"It's going to be my turn tomorrow! I'll definitely turn things around!" Natsu yelled.

Rette decided to focus on her food and making sure that Cana didn't try to slip her anything that could relieve her of her common senses. Given Cana's fascination with Rette's drunken state, she didn't put it past Cana to slip her something. After two attempts, Rette decided it was best to switch seats. Picking up her plate and glass, she moved to the empty seat across a table from Laxus. Soon Gray and Lucy, all better after their defeat, joined the others.

"Listen up, brats. Today's defeat is the seed for tomorrow's victory! We'll rise up and show them all, won't we! We don't know the meaning of giving up! Our goal is number one in Fiore!" Makarov announced, the others cheering along.

After that, it was just as any other day back in their guild hall. People ate and drank, Gray stripped naked and got into an argument with Gajeel, and everyone enjoyed their time together. Natsu got into a fight with Max, and won, leaving Max on the floor, his pants around his knees. Natsu challenged the others.

"Interesting...I'll be your opponent." Gajeel offered.

"Leave it be...if it's you and Natsu, it won't be fun anymore." Laxus told him.

Gajeel turned to Laxus and, in a mocking way, started patting Laxus on the head.

"Oh oh...you've become such a peace loving guy, Laxus." Gajeel mocked.

Levy grabbed Gajeel around the waist trying, and failing, to pull Gajeel away before he got himself hurt. Freed tried to jump to Laxus' defense, not that he needed it, but both Evergreen and Bixlow had already been rendered unconscious in a drinking contest against Cana. Cana, already drunk off her ass, was then approached by a member of Quatro Cerberus who challenged her to a drinking contest. Already being too drunk to see straight, Cana lost and the guy, who was revealed to be Bacchus, took her top as a prize. Macoa and Wakaba tried to get it back and ended up getting laid out by Bacchus' drunken movements.

"Still quite the rowdy bunch, aren't they?" Rette asked Laxus.

When Laxus didn't reply to her, Rette turned to look at him. Laxus was leaning back in his seat, arms crossed, his face faced away from her. It was obvious that he was still angry with her. Rette heaved a sigh. One would think, at his age, he would be more mature. Perhaps it would be best to simply clear the air with him. Not that she really understood why she should.

"Look, Laxus, if, for some reason, you are angry with me leaving training early, the reason was that Jellal had called me. He wanted my help convincing Erza, Natsu, and the others to agree in helping him with his investigation. That was all it was. He had helped me when I needed help, so I did him that favor." Rette told him.

She was somewhat relieved when Laxus' eyes finally turned to look at her. She still didn't know why he was angry, but perhaps he would let it go now that she had explained it to him. Laxus eyed her for a moment before turning to look at her.

"That was all it was?" he asked.

"Of course. What did you think it was?" Rette asked.

Laxus' eyes darted away from her again. He didn't answer her, only making her raise an eyebrow in questioning.

"Alright, fine. Don't tell me. As long as you know, perhaps you can stop giving me the cold shoulder. I certainly haven't done anything to deserve it." Rette remarked, getting her feet.

Rette decided that then was the best time to bow out of the affair. Laxus looked up at her as she scooted her chair back into place at the table.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm going to go check on Wendy and then I'm off to bed. I'll see you in the morning, Laxus." Rette told him.

She turned away then, leaving the others at the pub. Waving a hand over her shoulder to Laxus, she left to see how Wendy and Carla were fairing. When she reached the infirmary, she knocked on the door.

"Come in." came Porlyusica's voice.

Rette pushed the door open and stepped into the room, Thyme on her shoulder as always.

"Excuse me. I just wanted to check and see how Wendy and Carla are faring." Rette said, before spotting Carla awake. "Oh, Carla, you're awake. I'm glad."

Thyme jumped off Rette's shoulder and rushed over to the stool where Carla sat. She climbed up, happily taking Carla's paws in her, relieved to see the other exceed alright.

"They are doing fine." Porlyusica told Rette.

"I see. Thank you very much for your help." Rette said politely, bowing her head to the old woman.

Rette then turned to Carla. She could tell instantly that something was wrong with her.

"What's wrong, Carla? You looked worried." Rette remarked.

Carla glanced up at her. For someone who was usually oblivious, Rette had her moments when she was as sharp as a whip. But Carla really didn't want to worry anyone. Especially not Rette who took any possible threats to her guild mates as her mission to exterminate the possible cause. Especially after seven years as the protector of the guild.

"It's nothing. I'm still tired." Carla told her.

Rette's eyebrow furrowed in a sign that she didn't completely buy that, but she didn't say anything. Carla was grateful for that. Instead Rette's eyes turned to Wendy, who was asleep, before turning to Porlyusica.

"How's Wendy doing?" Rette asked.

"She'll be fine. She just needs rest." Porlyusica told her.

"I knew you would be the perfect person to look after her. Thank you so much for your assistance." Rette told her.

"It's nothing to thank me for." Porlyusica said sourly.

Unlike with most people, Porlyusica didn't feel the need to be snippy with Rette. She had done so the first few times meeting Rette, but she had found, over the last seven years, that Rette simply didn't react to it and refused to be budged just because someone was being sour. Not to mention that Rette was nothing but polite to Porlyusica, treating her with respect. It was a little hard to keep up the act when the other person didn't notice it in the first place. Porlyusica looked over at Rette as she watched Wendy, her arms crossed lightly over her stomach. Upon looking closely at the girl, Porlyusica noticed something that everyone had been over looking. Something she had been noticing a lot in the last four or so years.

"Have you been sleeping properly?" Porlyusica demanded suddenly.

Rette's eyebrows went up as she turned her head towards Porlyusica. Though it wasn't noticeable to most people, the old woman could tell there were dark circles under Rette's eyes. Not to mention, there was a strain to the set of her mouth that wasn't usually there. For the last four or so years, every time Porlyusica had seen Rette, she had noticed that Rette sometimes looked ill, or strained, or exhausted. She didn't look quite a hundred percent.

"I don't sleep well in different places and I didn't really get sleep last night. It's nothing. I'll probably fall right to sleep tonight." Rette replied.

Something about that smelled like a lie to Porlyusica, but because of the natural indifferent look that Rette always boosted, she couldn't nail it down for sure. Rette wasn't giving any hints either. Porlyusica made a "hmp" noise before turning back to mixing whatever potion she was mixing. Rette turned to Carla and Thyme.

"As I said, I simply wanted to check in. I am pleased to see you up and better, Carla. Please keep an eye on Wendy." Rette said.

Carla nodded. Thyme gave Carla a smile and squeezed her paws once before hopping off the stool and running over to Rette. Rette bent over, letting the little silver exceed jump up onto her shoulder.

"We'll take our leave now. Rest up, Carla and thank you again, Porlyusica."

With that, Rette turned and headed for the door. She stopped when Thyme tugged on a strand of her hair. Rette turned her head to look at the little cat. Thyme pressed a paw to her chest before gesturing back towards Carla and Wendy. Rette turned her eyes to Porlyusica.

"Thyme would like to know if you would allow her to stay here with Carla." Rette told the old woman.

Porlyusica looked at Thyme. While she wasn't a big fan of humans, she didn't mind the exceeds. Thyme was just as polite as Rette could be and she was quiet. Porlyusica nodded her head once, giving her permission. Rette sat Thyme on the ground, wished her good night and turned to leave again. She closed the door behind her and started off down the hall, only her own footsteps echoing off the walls to accompany her. Rette actually felt pretty good about leaving Thyme with Carla and Wendy. She would let Rette know when Wendy woke up.

As Rette headed out onto the streets of the city, walking her way back to Honeybone, cheers and celebrations for the end of the first day, rang out around her. People passed her, laughing and chatting, others sharing drinks at outdoor cafes. It was a peaceful scene, but, nonetheless...Rette felt uneasy. She had learned, a while back, that in her guild, peace like this didn't last long before there was some grand adventure or enemy for them to endure.

Whatever it was that made Rette uneasy, she was sure they would deal with it. Fairy Tail never gave up, right? Just like she knew the sun would rise the next day, she knew, without a doubt in her mind, that somehow, someway, they would find a way to win the tournament and regain the glory their guild mates deserved.

And Rette would play her part.

END

Kyandi: And there's you all a new chapter!

Rette: And she had more on the way.

Kyandi: Yeah, I'm just having to finish up a few details. I had most of the Games planned out before I ever started typing it.

Rette: Sometimes she gets ahead of herself.

Kyandi: True. Now everyone, please, go check out my drawings of Rette. Remember, there's a spoiler for who Rette's second love interest is.

Rette: And don't forget to tell us how you like the drawings.

Kyandi: Please do. Everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll return shortly.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	14. Day Two

Kyandi: Hey everyone, I'm back!

Rette: She's been lazing about.

Kyandi: Motivation has been a little low for me.

Rette: Which is why she has two more chapters after this, just waiting to be posted.

Kyandi: Yeah...it's been a crappy two weeks, sorry.

Rette: If you're sorry, then let us just get to it.

Kyandi: Right! Everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 14 Day Two

Day two found Rette, once more, standing among her guild mates, watching as the contest portion of the day started.

Chariot.

Rette, upon hearing the name of the contest, knew it probably had something to do with moving chariots. Something she would avoid like the plague. Despite the assumption being something of common logic, both Natsu and Gajeel stepped forward to take part in the competition, along side Sting from Sabertooth. Rette soon became convinced that her ailment was common place for strong Dragon Slayers. A marker of strength, per say.

"This competition consist of reaching the goal without falling off from the interconnected chariots." Chapati announced.

"But this isn't just some regular race!" Yajima added.

Today's guest announcer was Jason from Sorcerer Weekly and he seemed to be over excited for the contest. Rette, knowing what kind of person Jason was, was sure he would be even more so before the end of the day.

"The chariots underfoot are constantly in motion, so even a moment of carelessness will prove to be your undoing. They pass through the major sightseeing locales of Crocus. Which team will be the first to arrive at the goal, here at the Domus Flau!?" Chapati added. "We will be transmitting images from the race to everyone here at the arena through lacrimavision."

Rette, like all of her guild mates, was horrified with the display her two competing guild mates were putting on. While the others stared in wide eyed horror, Rette dropped her face into one hand with a sigh and shook her head. It was so unslightly. Through the lacrimavision screens provided for the audience, they could see Natsu running, very slowly and sluggishly, looking like he was about to be sick. Just ahead of him, suffering from the same motion sickness, was Gajeel and, to everyone's surprise, Sting.

"Trailing at the back, far, far from the lead, Fairy Tail A's Natsu is in a groggy state! And that's not all. Right next to him, Fairy Tail B's Gajeel and even Sabertooth's Sting are in the same condition." Chapati announced.

"What's happening? Why is Gajeel..." Lily trailed off.

"Stop taking Natsu's character!" Happy cried.

"Even the guy from Sabertooth..." Levy mused.

"It has to be a Dragon Slayer thing. A strength marker perhaps." Rette remarked, heaving a sigh. "At least I can somewhat function and appear unfazed."

"Maybe Natsu and Gajeel are just stronger." Levy said.

"No. That's not it. I proved I could beat Natsu. I've just had seven years to perfect my poker face." Rette told her simply.

Everyone turned to look at Rette with her look of indifference. Poker face was an understatement. Rette ignored them, focusing on the lacrima screens. Raven Tail's Kurohebi was in the lead and had already made it almost to the arena while the three Dragon Slayers of the group of participants where still close to the starting point. Behind Kurohebi, in a little pack, came Ichiya, Yuka, Risley from Mermaid Heel, and just behind them was a hiccuping Bacchus. Yuka, using his magic to boost him into second place, also managed to cut off any use of offensive magic in those just behind him.

Risley avoided it by using her gravity transportation magic to run along the side of the chariot, leaving Ichiya to deal with the effects of Yuka's magic. Rette frowned slightly when Ichiya, to counter the nullifying effects, stuck vials of his perfume magic, straight into his nose, giving himself a boost of speed that allowed him to passed Yuka. Rette was impressed when Bacchus, to even the playing field, stomped a foot down on the chariot that he stood on...destroying it.

The chain reaction sent connected chariots flying into the air, knocking about Ichiya, Rinsley, and Yuka. With the three thrown about, Bacchus, laughing like a loon, took the lead, even shooting past Kurohebi. With a slide, Bacchus broke through the finish line, earning Quatro Cerberus first place and ten points. Kurohebi came in second, just behind him with Risley in third, Yuka in fourth, and Ichiya in fifth. That just left Natsu, Gajeel, and Sting. The three, despite their condition, traded verbal blows, Natsu and Gajeel refusing to lose while Sting insisted that even if they finished before him, Sabertooth could win back the points easily.

Gajeel and Natsu pulled ahead of Sting, surprising him with their determination to finish. Rette watched the screens as they zeroed in on the three.

"Can I ask you just one thing?" Sting asked. "Why did you guys enter the Games? This would have been unthinkable for the Fairy Tail of the past. Only once has Fairy Tail come close. Worrying about the strength of the guild, or worldly things like this. The Fairy Tail I know...well...how to say it...does things at its own pace. Without worrying about how others might think."

"It's for our comrades. For seven years...always...they were waiting for us...no matter how tough it was. No matter how sad. Even if they were made fools of, they endured and endured and protected the guild. Its for Rette."

Rette looked up when Natsu said her name, surprised that he had singled her out. Normally he didn't pay much attention to individual effort.

"She's fought and worked hard, busting her ass for the guild. She supported them, protected them, has given up a lot for the guild. And even though she's tired, is completely worn out, and we're home, she's still working harder and harder, refusing to step down until she knows for sure we can handle it. For our comrades we'll show you. To show Rette she doesn't have to do it alone anymore. The proof that Fairy Tail has kept going! And that's why we'll keep moving forward!" Natsu declared, sending their guild mates into a fit of tears.

"Oh, Natsu..." Rette said lowly.

She was touched. Natsu acted thick headed, like he didn't understand others' feelings. She had never expected him of all people to pick up on just how tired she was. They were fighting for the guild, of course, to redeem them, but they were also fighting to show Rette that she didn't have to bare the burden alone.

Not anymore.

Pushing themselves, Natsu and Gajeel finished in sixth and seventh place, earning two points for Fairy Tail A and one point for Fairy Tail B, tying them in last place with two points each. With this display of determination, the crowd turned in favor of Fairy Tail, impressed with the lengths they were willing to go to. It even reduced Makarov to tears. Even though it was such a small amount of points, Rette was proud of the two. Because of Sting coming in last and Kurohebi coming in second, Raven Tail passed Sabertooth to take first, dropping Sabertooth to second place.

Rette didn't imagine that Jiemma was too happy about that.

Lucy took Natsu to Porlyusica and the day moved on to the battle portion of the events. First match of the day featured Kurohebi against Toby. Even not knowing the strength of Kurohebi first hand, just sensing his magic verses Toby's was enough for Rette to know they were poorly matched. Toby attacked, but no matter how he tried to hit Kurohebi, the other man was just too slippery. With another swing of Toby's paralyzing claws, Kurohebi let himself fall backwards onto the ground, only to seemingly vanished. Toby was surprised, Jura calling out to him that it was mimicry magic.

Rette whistled lowly, her guild mates wincing, as Kurohebi popped up out of the sand, using Max's own Sand Rebellion magic to attack Toby.

"That's my magic!" Max complained.

"He can use individual magic abilities with mimicry, huh." Laki remarked.

"Mimicry. That's a rare magic." Mavis said lowly from where she sat beside Rette.

"Copying one individual spell without learning the whole magic...it's difficult. If I could have gotten by with just that...my life would have been easier and my list of magic spells longer." Rette mused, her eyes fixed on the match.

On the other side of Mavis, Makarov and Romeo were cheering on Toby, telling him to smash Kurohebi, if for no other reason than he was from Ivan's guild. In the arena, Toby, a person so easily angered, found out that Kurohebi wasn't his real name and demanded that, if he won, Kurohebi tell him his real name. In return, if Kurohebi won, Toby had to tell him his big secret. Rette had a feeling that it would be a ridiculous secret. Toby didn't seem like the deep kind of person. Almost instantly after this wager was struck, Kurohebi won the match.

When asked what his secret was, Toby replied that it was his socks, that he couldn't find one of them and hadn't been able to for three months. Rette couldn't believe how idiotic Toby could be considering he was wearing one of the socks on his foot and the other around his neck, clipped to a necklace. Toby, though, was so choked up about it, that he was reduced to a slobbering mess of tears. Kurohebi simply tapped his chest, gesturing for Toby to look down at his own. Toby was happy to have found his sock...until Kurohebi took it from him and ripped it to shreds.

Though it was a stupid thing to have gotten choked up over, it had been important to Toby. For Kurohebi to have simply shredded it, knowing how bad Toby had felt about simply losing it...it was a bit cruel. The only sound in the stadium was the laughter of Kurohebi's teammates.

"That was needlessly cruel." Rette remarked. "Which about sums up that guild."

Makarov and Mavis agreed with Rette.

"Well...let's compose ourselves and move on to the second match of the day. Quatro Cerberus-Bacchus!" Chapati announced. "Against Fairy Tail A's...Elfman"

"It's all over!" Wakaba and Macao said together.

"Don't say mean things like that!" Lisanna yelled at them.

"She's right. Elfman may not be strongest or brightest of us all, but he has a lot of heart and the same determination as everyone else competing. He can do it if he persist." Rette told them.

Lisanna jumped at her, hugging her in thanks for standing up for Elfman. What could Rette say? She had a soft spot for the Strauss siblings. They had taken her in and treated her like one of them since she had joined the guild. Though her surname was different, they had adopted her as their sister and Rette was always happy to back up her sort-of adopted brother.

Elfman met Bacchus, who was laying on the ground, down in the arena. When he neared Bacchus, the drunkard spoke.

"Hey...why don't we make a bet like those guys just now?" Bacchus asked, catching Elfman's attention. "Your big sister and little sister are some real beauties. I heard that you have a newly adopted sister, too, that's a beauty as well...If I win, lend them to me for a night. All three of them at once."

Elfman was instantly pissed off. There was no quicker way to spark his temper than to have someone be so disrespectful about his sisters, Rette included. Lisanna made a disgusted face, while Rette blinked. She wasn't quite sure how to react to that one, but why, exactly, had she been dragged into it? Yes, she was basically their adopted sister, but this man was crazy if he thought the three of them would let him do as he pleased even if he did win.

"And if you win...let's see..." Bacchus mused, sitting his alcohol gourd aside.

"Man..."

Bacchus looked up at Elfman in questioning when the word left his mouth. Elfman's fist clenched tightly at his side.

"As a man, there are things I can't forgive, you hunting dog. I'll tear you apart." Elfman declared.

"I'm glad we could come to an agreement. My soul is shaking." Bacchus replied.

The match started out so one-sided that it was hard to believe that Elfman was going to win. Rette, at this point, wasn't too pleased.

"If Elfman loses, not only am I going to beat and castrate that dog, I'm going to knock the crap out of Elfman." Rette remarked.

Those of her guild mates around her, stepped back. None of them wanted to step in the way of Rette's war path. Especially not the guys if she was looking to castrate someone.

"Do you really think he'll lose?" Lisanna asked Rette.

Rette glanced at Lisanna who stood beside her, watching her brother with a worried expression on her face. Rette's annoyance drained away when she saw the look on Lisanna's face. She heaved a sigh before reaching out to lay a hand on top of Lisanna's head, stroking it as she did to Asuka when she cried. Lisanna looked at Rette.

"I meant what I said earlier, Lisanna. Elfman will prevail, I promise. If there's one thing I know about him, it's that he cannot abide disrespect to his sisters. You and Mira mean the world to him. He'll win this match, even if he has to go down doing so." Rette told her.

Lisanna smiled brightly, nodding at Rette's words.

"He cares about you, too, Rette" Lisanna assured her.

"Oh, I'm not worried about myself. That Bacchus would be dog meat if he tried to approach me. Deal or no deal." Rette replied.

They turned back, watching the fight. From the looks of it, Bacchus felt like he had the match in the bag and would get to spend a night of dreams with Mira, Lisanna, and Rette. Lisanna gripped her hands together, watching in concern for her brother. Rette's mouth twisted slightly as she watched. While she trusted Elfman, this match was a little more one-sided than she'd like it to be.

"It'll be fine. He's a guy that comes through when it counts." Evergreen assured Lisanna and Rette.

"Yeah!" Lisanna agreed.

"I know." Rette said with a nod.

They watched as Elfman transformed into Weretiger, which was a speed-type takeover. But even with the added speed, he wasn't able to lay a claw on Bacchus. Rette, who had heard about Bacchus from Erza and from past Games, knew why.

"What's with him!?" Jet asked.

"His attacks aren't hitting at all!" Droy added.

"It's Bacchus. His magic is a type that focuses his magical energy into his palms. Erza said it was a relatively orthodox magic, but you wouldn't see me trying to learn it. He mastered a martial art that allowed him to use this magic to its fullest potential...the Hanging-Chop Fist. It's a martial art that specialized in stances that make effective use of mostly palm strikes. Bacchus has added improvements to the style and created a drunk Hanging-Chop Fist." Rette remarked.

"Improvements?" Max asked.

"When you're drunk, your muscles have a flexibility, a fluidity, that they don't normally have. If you've ever watched a drunken man walking down the road, you'll noticed that no matter how much they may sway one way or the other, you can't predict which way they'll fall. Not to mention that you lose that limiter that your brain naturally puts on your strength so you don't injure yourself. By being drunk, Bacchus as increased his unpredictability and his power. So far though...he hasn't touched his alcohol gourd." Rette pointed out.

"So you mean..."

"Bacchus isn't even trying right now." Rette said, when Macao trailed off. "But he will. Elfman will make him work for his victory before snatching it away. That's how strong Elfman's will and determination is."

Despite Rette's confident declaration, Elfman hit the ground after another attack from Bacchus. Rette would put her faith in Elfman because she knew, without a doubt, that if the tables had been reversed, he would have put his in her. Elfman got back to his feet, a grin on his face as he faced Bacchus.

"It hasn't been decided yet, hunting dog. The wager...in the event that I win." Elfman said.

"It's absolutely hopeless already...fine, say whatever you want." Bacchus replied.

"If I win...the name of your guild...will be Quatro Puppy for the rest of the Games." Elfman replied.

A small, cut off laugh escaped Rette before she clamped down on it. Even Bacchus laughed and it was his own guild. It was so funny that Bacchus readily agreed with Elfman and bent to pick up his alcohol gourd. He took a large drink, draining it, deciding it was time to end the whole thing. Just as Bacchus attacked, Elfman transformed. Bacchus, sure he had taken Elfman down with that attack, turned and stopped in surprise. Elfman still stood, now in his Beast Soul: Lizardman form, blood decorating his scales from where Bacchus had cut up his hands from attacking him.

"That's...an interesting, if not foolish, strategy. He's going to have Bacchus hurt himself by attacking him. It's now a battle to see which gives out first...Bacchus' hands or Elfman's body. While it's clever considering Lizardman's scales have various spikes, Bacchus' attacks are strong enough to break those hard scales." Rette remarked.

Lisanna latched onto Rette's arm, gripping tightly as they watched. Elfman basically grit his teeth and bore with it as Bacchus repeatedly attacked him. The others of their guild cheered on Elfman. Evergreen even got carried away with her cheering, wrapping an arm around Freed's neck, choking him as she yelled. Rette stood quietly, reaching up to grip one of Lisanna's hands that was wrapped around her arm. Minutes ticked by until both men were exhausted, bloody, and drenched in sweat. Elfman had even reverted back to his normal form.

They both fell to their knees and a hush fell over the crowd as they waited to see who would get back to their feet first. Tears came to Lisanna's eyes as Bacchus was the one that got up.

"Hold on. Don't give up just yet." Rette told them. "Come on...come on..."

Rette could see the wobbling of Bacchus' legs and then, with a grin on his face, Bacchus hit the ground, down for the count. With that, Elfman was declared the victor. With a cheer, Lisanna threw her arms around Rette's neck. Together, along with Cana and Evergreen, they raised a loud cheer for Elfman who threw his arms in the air with a yell of victory.

"Is this cry the beacon of Fairy Tail's rebirth!?" Chapati cheered into the microphone.

Rette took Lisanna's hand and the two and Thyme hurried down to the tunnel leading to the arena. They were allowed to cart Elfman off to their team's medical adviser, Porlyusica. Supporting the big man between them, Freed, Evergreen, and Bixlow behind them, they took him to the medical bay. Natsu, Wendy, Carla, and Porlyusica met them there. While Lisanna and Rette helped the old woman clean and bandage Elfman's wounds, Natsu told them about what had happened with a group of men hired to kidnap Lucy, but had failed and had kidnapped Wendy, Carla, and Porlyusica.

Erza, Lucy, and Gray soon joined them.

"It seems I underestimated Elfman a little bit. But his endurance and strength of will might be unrivaled in our guild. We'll definitely build upon his hard-won victory." Erza remarked.

"To think that Erza would acknowledge him like this." Lucy said.

"Why wouldn't she? Elfman did splendidly. And now I don't have to castrate anyone." Rette said, arms crossed over stomach.

Everyone looked at her, the image of her castrating Bacchus making them all shiver in horror and disgust. None of them had a doubt in their mind that if Elfman had lost, Rette would have done it.

"You were totally rocking, Elfman!" Natsu said, changing the subject.

"Stop it...you guys sound like you're mourning the dead." Elfman remarked from where he lay in bed, bandaged nearly from head to toe.

"Well, being strong has always been his only redeeming feature." Lisanna remarked.

"That's kind of a sad redeeming feature, huh." Natsu said with a laugh.

"Natsu, you don't have room to talk since you're the same." Rette told Natsu as she swatted him in the head.

"But you were really amazing." Wendy assured Elfman.

"It's pathetic, but since I'm in this condition now...the rest is up to you, Wendy!" Elfman told her.

"Well...the next match is starting already, so get going. Observing the enemy is part of the key to victory, you know." Porlyusica said.

"Relax. We, the Thunder Legion, will protect this place." Bicklow said.

"My runes will prevent outsiders from coming in or out." Freed agreed.

"We won't let this place get attacked a second time." Evergreen promised.

"While I highly doubt anyone would be stupid enough to do it a second time, I feel better that the three of you will see to this place's safety." Rette remarked.

With that, Lisanna, Rette, Thyme, and Carla followed Natsu and his team out of the infirmary.

"At any rate...those guys from Raven Tail..their tactics are just so openly dirty." Gray remarked.

"Are they hoping to reduce our battle power one person at a time?" Erza asked.

"Whatever their aim is, they are really starting to spark my temper." Rette said.

"About this incident..some questions still remain." Carla remarked, making them turn to look at her.

"What is it, Carla?" Wendy asked.

"I've already heard the gist of what happened, but...Raven Tail was using some bandit guild to try to capture Lucy. However, they mistook their target, and failed doubly after Natsu went after them." Erza said.

"Doesn't everything make sense?" Lisanna asked.

"Not exactly. Now that Carla mentions it...their method of capture was strange." Rette said, a finger going to her lips for her to bite on the nail.

"What do you mean, Rette?" Lucy asked.

"Among Raven Tail's team, there is a mage that can completely reduce his opponent's magic to zero in an instant. In fact, I'm sure it was him that nullified Lucy's magic in her fight with Flare. I've yet to mistaken a magical energy." Rette said.

"That's right. Master believes that to be the case too." Erza said.

Rette nodded.

"That kind of mage is most suitable for the capture of another mage. With such a guy in their ranks, then why send those bandits without him?" Rette asked.

"Exactly." Carla agreed.

"Isn't that because according to the battle portion's rules, all participants need to be near the battle grounds?" Gray asked.

"According to the rules, the ones selected for battle are unknown until right beforehand." Lisanna agreed.

"It still doesn't make sense to me. If they're so openly dirty with their tactics, why do things in such a round about way?" Rette asked.

"You're over-thinking things, Rette. You and Carla both." Wendy assured her.

"Yeah...as we know, those guys value results over the "methods" that they use to achieve them." Lucy said.

"If you say so..." Rette remarked lowly.

"Well, regardless, if they're trying to target us outside of the arena, for the sake of vigilance, let's try our best that no one be left alone at any given time." Erza ordered.

Rette nodded, though she still didn't feel right. Thyme reached out and pat her cheek, giving her a smile when Rette looked at her. Rette reached up and scratched her ears. She was just glad she had swung by to pick Thyme up that morning before heading to the arena. With that said, they all returned to the arena as the third match was announced.

Fairy Tail B's Mirajane verse Blue Pegasus' Jenny.

While Rette usually looked up to Mira for her power as the She-Devil, what she found...made her embarrassed to call herself a woman.

Instead of a battle, Mira and Jenny had agreed to a battle of modeling swimsuits with the judges picking who won each theme. While all of the men in the crowd were eating it up, Rette dropped her face into one hand. The first couple of rounds involved nothing but bikinis. Then things got worse.

"Not so fast. You don't expect us to just let these bubble headed bimbos, hog all the attention?"

Rette heaved a sigh as three members of the Mermaid Heel team joined Mirajane and Jenny in the arena. Behind them came Cherie and Chelia. All, of course, were wearing bikinis, sending the males of the audience into an uproar.

"Wow. That takes guts, I guess." Levy remarked.

"Why are you ladies just watching from the side lines?" Mavis asked, turning to Rette, Levy, Lisanna, and Cana.

"What do you mean by that?" Levy asked.

"I really don't want to know, because I have the bad feeling that I do know." Rette said, already groaning on the inside.

"Do you think that we should go down there?" Lisanna asked.

"Are we suppose to just always have a swimsuit ready?" Cana asked.

"Cana...you're tops always look like swimsuits." Rette told her.

In agreement, Lisanna and Levy looked down at the red, bikini top-like top that Cana was currently wearing.

"No silly! But you never know what might happen. So you should be ready for anything. I have one for all of you!" Mavis said.

Rette flinched, a very subtle twitch taking over the corner of her left eye as bikinis began to rain from the air over their head, one landing right on Rette. Trying to remain indifferent, Rette removed the swimsuit from her head.

"Do I really have to?" Rette asked.

"Oh, come on, Rette! It's not like your usual outfits are any less revealing!" Cana said, pushing Rette ahead of her to go change.

Rette hung her head, letting Cana push her ahead of her. This was going to be horrible. While Rette was usually very comfortable in her own skin, that didn't mean she liked going out in front of people and purposely posing in next to nothing, just for their entertainment. Cana, though, wasn't going to let her off the hook. So, along side every present female in her guild, Rette ended up in the arena, dressed in gold bikini with purple swirl designs that had low slung, barely there bottoms and a strapless top.

Even little Asuka had come down with her mother in an adorable pink swimsuit.

As the fans went wild, Rette drove the fingers of one hand into her hair, shoving it back from her face. She heaved a sigh as she propped the other hand on her hip. This was ridiculous, but Mira and Jenny didn't seem to have a problem with everyone butting in on their limelight. Chapati called for a wardrobe change, leaving Rette and every other female in school girl swimsuits. Rette didn't know how girls normally wore them, they were so tight around her chest.

The next theme put Rette back in her bikini with sheer white, mess thigh-high stockings edged with gold lace. Rette had only to glance towards the stands and see that pretty much every male in her guild was wide eyed and staring. Some even had bloody noses. Even though it wasn't any less than she normally wore, Rette felt even more exposed. The next theme had her putting on a pair of glasses, tilting the frames down on her nose to peer over the lenses.

As the theme switched again, Rette was about ready to throw something at Chapati for the themes he was suggesting. This theme put her in dark grey cat ears and tail with a little belled collar around her neck. This was only getting worse.

"That look actually suits you, Rette!" Lisanna told her.

"No, it doesn't!" Rette protested.

The next theme was bondage, putting Rette in leather, fish net stockings, and heels that would have broken her neck if she tried to run in them with a whip in hand. A glance up at the males on the two Fairy Tail teams, showed all of them staring down at the arena with wide eyes, as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing. Rette wanted to stick her head in the sand. The way the leather hugged her curves made Rette feel like one wrong move would send everything she had bursting free.

"I never noticed before, Rette, but...you've got one hell of a body." Cana remarked, sneaking up behind Rette to grab her breasts from behind, as she sometimes did to Lucy.

Rette whipped around, cracking the whip in her hand, but Cana easily dodged, a grin on her face when she saw the light blush starting to turn Rette's cheeks pink.

"That isn't funny, Cana!" Rette called after her.

The next theme, really about did Rette in.

The blushing bride.

Rette was going to die. That was all there was to it. She found herself dressed in a white, strapless dress with a sweetheart bodice and an A-line skirt with a delicate layer of lace over top. A short, sheer veil was pinned in her short hair and mid-bicep length, white gloves graced her hands. They were suppose to pair up with a guy. Rette didn't even have the chance to look around at her guild mates before she had Laxus, dressed in a suit, at her side.

"You just jumped at the chance, didn't you?" Rette asked, looking up at him.

Laxus' reply was a grin back down at her. Of course, that grin vanished when another arm suddenly wrapped around Rette's waist, pulling her away from Laxus. Rette twisted, looking up to find Orga standing there, one arm wrapped around her waist and a challenging grin directed at Laxus.

"Orga?" Rette asked.

Orga looked down at Rette and grinned at her, his eyes sweeping her from head to toe. Rette could almost feel the crackling anger coming off Laxus.

"Lookin' good, Rette. You need a partner. How about it?" Orga said.

There was a tug on Rette's arm, pulling her out of Orga's grip and into the hard line of Laxus' body. Laxus wrapped a protective arm around Rette, but his eyes were fixed on Orga.

"Get lost. She's not even from your guild." Laxus told him.

"You don't get that say. She's not your's." Orga replied.

Rette could almost see the sparks flying between the two as they glared at each other. Rette almost felt like a favored chew toy that two dogs were fighting over.

"It doesn't matter. You don't know her." Laxus snapped at Orga.

"Tch! And you do? You've been gone seven years. I've talked to her more than you have in those years." Orga retorted.

The two, getting closer and closer together to glare at each other, were now squeezing Rette between them. Rette could only take so much flashing displays of male ego before she got fed up with it. If they stepped any closer, she was going to become a pancake. Wedging her arms between her body and their's, she shoved, adding a little magic power behind it, sending the two flying back onto their butts out of surprise.

"Why don't you both go take a cold shower." Rette told them, turning on her heel to walk away.

Rette joined Wendy smoothing out wrinkles in the dress. Cana, standing nearby, laughed while Wendy looked up at Rette in concern.

"Something wrong, Rette?" Cana asked.

"Why are men so clueless?" Rette asked.

"You got me." Cana replied.

Rette wish she knew. She had made it clear to Orga that she wasn't going to date him and, while she liked Laxus in general, she wasn't really interested in dating. Her life was too much a mess full of work at the moment. She didn't have the time. She was thankful when the announcers decided to switch back to swimsuits and the guys were sent back into the stands.

They were just about to start when the old master of Lamia Scale, a woman who liked to spin people when angry or annoyed, called that the whole affair was an outrage. Everyone looked up to find her standing on a high perch on one of the statues ringing the arena. She jumped from her perch, claiming she would show all of the females in the arena, what it meant to be a real woman. When she landed in the ring, she threw off her cape, revealing the pink swimsuit and wrinkled skin beneath.

Everyone stared in horror, the whole stadium going silent. Rette clapped a hand over her eyes as Thyme buried her face in Lily's chest so she didn't have to look. That was one way to ruin the mood of the moment.

"And with that crash course in reality, the mood in the arena has been brought back down to Earthland. Party's over folks. The other teams on the field have begun to clear out." Chapati announced, the crowd groaning.

Rette was just glad to get off the field and back into her own clothes. She was glad that was over. While she didn't mind posing for pictures for Sorcerer Weekly, doing that in front of a huge crowd and with some of the themes they had gone through, was embarrassing.

Some of the themes were alright, but others were things no one would ever find in Rette's closet. She was doubly ashamed when Mira and Jenny struck their own deal and decided that the loser would have to appear in a spread of Weekly Sorcerer, naked. The last theme would decide the victor.

The last theme...battle form.

Rette knew, the moment that left Jenny's mouth, that Mira was going to win. Mira used her Sitri form which was the strongest in her arsenal of Takeover forms. Mira claimed that since they had stuck to the theme of the day and had made a deal, they should continue to stick to the theme and end the match in a display of power. With that, she ended the match with one strike.

The event moved on to the last match of the day. Mermaid Heel's Kagura verses Sabertooth's Yukino. Yukino was the only female member of the Sabertooth team and seemed to be a serious young girl, but Rette didn't get a great feeling of power from her. She was surprised that Jiemma had allowed Yukino to take Minerva's place on the team. Kagura on the other hand...just the way she walked out, as if this was nothing more than something to be handle swiftly made Rette feel like she was the strongest of the two.

"Everyone is already well-aware of Kagura's strength. She is the strongest mage in Mermaid Heel and presently a female mage highly favored by Weekly Sorcerer. This is her opponent, Yukino's first appearance here. However by virtue of belonging to the strongest guild Sabertooth, we should be able to look forward to her strength as well." Chapati announced, starting the match.

Rette watched as Yukino bowed respectfully in greeting, Kagura returning it. Yukino started the match off by asking if they, too, should make a bet, but Kagura turned it down, insisting she had no interest and that it was just a form of frivolous entertainment. Yukino offered to make it serious then, by wagering their lives. Kagura accepted the wager then.

With a surprise to Rette, Yukino pulled out a gate key, revealing that she was a celestial mage like Lucy. She summoned the Paired Fish, Pisces. Rette grabbed Happy as he went crazy over the sight of the two large fish that came forth. They attacked Kagura, who jumped out of the way. Yukino quickly followed up the attack by summoning her next spirit, Libra. Those two keys would finish the whole set of golden keys for Lucy, if she had them.

Rette watched as Yukino had Libra alter gravity, bringing a heavy force down on Kagura's shoulders. Pisces then circle back around to attack. Kagura, who had been the one to teach Risley gravity magic, broke free of Libra and dodged the attack. Yukino pulled out a third key. Every key Rette had ever seen had been either silver or gold, but this one...this one was black. She used it to open the gate of the Snake Charmer, the thirteenth door, Ophiuchus. A large, dark colored serpent with a metal lower jaw, came forth and attacked Kagura head on.

Kagura gripped the hilt of her still sheathed blade and met the creature head on. She was able to, without drawing her sword, cut the serpent and beat it, sending it back to the celestial realm before getting up close and personal with Yukino. One strike was all it took to bring Yukino down, winning Kagura the match and leaving Sabertooth with a total of zero points for the day. And with that, Day Two ended.

Rette was going to slip away, to avoid the fanfair of a night of celebration, but Erza caught her and insisted she go with Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Carla, and Wendy. Heaving a sigh, Rette insisted that nothing would be done to her, since she wasn't participating in the Games, but Erza only insisted. Instead of arguing, Rette did as asked and went to the pub with the group. After a lot of food and happy celebration, they finally left.

"Puha! I sure ate." Natsu said as they walked down the street.

"You eat too much." Carla told him.

"Oh you have no idea. He's been this way as long as I've known him." Rette told her.

Carla made a disgusted face and Rette turned forward to where Wendy was asking Lucy where the lodgings were since she had been in the infirmary the last two nights.

"Is everyone in the same room?" Wendy asked.

"This is worst. Natsu snores so loudly...Gray ends up naked before you know it...Erza always crawls into my bed..." Lucy said.

"So glad I'm bunking in another room." Rette remarked.

"Now that you mention it, where are Gray and Erza?" Happy asked.

"Poor Gray..." Carla said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Let me guess...Lyon showed up to challenge him for Juvia again, didn't he?" Rette asked.

"Yes." Carla replied.

Rette shook her head, Thyme silently laughing behind her paws. She didn't know what was suddenly going on with Lyon, but she kind of felt bad for Gray.

"And Erza?" Natsu asked.

"I haven't seen her, now that you mention it." Lucy said. "She herself was the one that told us not to end up alone, though."

"I highly doubt she's alone. She went to meet up with our masked friend." Rette remarked.

Understanding that she meant Jellal, they dropped that line of conversation. Natsu faced forward as their lodgings came into sight.

"Huh? There's someone in front of our lodgings." Natsu said.

Rette peered through the dark, her eyes locking on the figure standing on the front step of Honeybone.

"There is." Rette said.

"That person is..." Wendy trailed off as Lucy tried to peer through the darkness to see what they were seeing.

"You guys have such good eyes." she remarked.

"It's a Dragon Slayer thing." Rette assured her.

As they neared, Lucy finally saw who it was. Rette was surprised to find Yukino from Sabertooth waiting for them, a suitcase at her side. Yukino asked to speak with them. Unsure what she wanted, they took her back to the room that Natsu and his team shared where she revealed that she had business with Lucy.

"Business? With me?" Lucy asked.

"Yes. I have important business with you." Yukino replied.

"What is Saber trying to pull?" Natsu demanded.

"Natsu...why don't we at least listen to what she has to say?" Wendy asked.

Rette, curious about what this was about, agreed with Wendy, shutting Natsu up. Yukino, as she started to speak again, leaned forward to place something on the table between her and Lucy.

"This may be a rather bold request, but...these," Yukino set down her two zodiac keys. "the key of the Paired Fish and the key of the Heavenly Scales...I'd like for you to take the two of these."

"That's...impossible. I can't take them." Lucy told her, shocked.

"When I saw you on the first day, I decided...that after the Games had ended, I would give you these keys." Yukino told them.

"The Games haven't ended yet, have they?" Natsu asked.

"My Games have ended. Lady Minerva will probably be added in my place. With this, the "Strongest Five" that changed Sabertooth have been gathered." Yukino replied.

Rette growled lowly in her breath, snapping her teeth together in an annoyed way. Every time she heard Minerva's name, she got an image of the woman in her head and it annoyed her all over again. Dropping to sit on the arm of Lucy's chair, Rette crossed her legs. The others glanced at her, but turned back to Yukino when Rette just sat there.

"You weren't part of them, huh." Carla voiced.

"I had just entered...I was nothing more than a substitute for Lady Minerva, who was in the middle of a job." Yukino answered.

"But why? These are your precious celestial spirits, aren't they?" Wendy asked.

"Precisely for that reason...These celestial spirits will be happier, as well, if they're entrusted to Miss Lucy, who's a far more outstanding celestial spirit mage than me." Yukino said.

"I don't think their happiness could be measured simply by who is the best mage. If they're contracted to you, than it's going to be you who they want to be with." Rette remarked.

Lucy agreed with her, feeling awkward in a situation like this. But Yukino wasn't really taking no for an answer.

"You've already gathered ten of the twelve golden keys of the zodiac. With these two added...the twelve keys will have all been gathered. The gateway that changes the world will open." Yukino said.

"The gateway that changes the world?" Lucy asked.

"It's just an old legend. I don't understand the meaning of it, either. You might have noticed this already, but...over the past several years, the number of celestial spirit mages has dropped precipitously. There was that Zentopia incident some time ago, as well. We might be the only celestial spirit mages left, now. You're one that loves and is loved by celestial spirits. You should carry the twelve keys and walk together with the spirits." Yukino said.

"I can't accept them, after all...celestial spirit magic is a magic of bonds and trust...there's no way that owners can be switched quite so easily." Lucy told her.

"This wasn't...an easy resolution to come by." Yukino said, before standing. "No...I figured you would say that. When the times comes...the twelve keys will naturally be reunited again. It'd be nice if we could meet again." Yukino said, smiling at Lucy.

Lucy nodded in reply. With that, Yukino left. Shortly after that, Natsu decided to chase after her and, to make sure he stayed out of trouble, Rette followed him.

"O-i! Wait up! Wait!" Natsu yelled, waving his arms, as they caught up with Yukino.

Yukino turned to look at them, as Natsu ran up to her, Happy and Thyme flying behind him and Rette following.

"Ah...sorry, sorry. You're not a bad person." Natsu said.

When Yukino stared at him in confusion at the blunt remark, Rette heaved a sigh.

"Clarify when you speak, Natsu." she told him.

"You see...Natsu had made up his mind that you were a bad person just because you were in Sabertooth. That's why he came here like this to apologize." Happy told Yukino.

"Apologize?" Yukino asked.

"My bad."

"Natsu, even I think that was too light of an apology. If you're going to apologize, do it properly." Rette told him.

Natsu just grinned.

"Sorry. But even with this, Natsu's grown up a little bit." Happy remarked.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Natsu demanded.

"It does seem as if his maturity has grown, just a tiny bit." Rette agreed.

"You too!?" Natsu asked, turning to her.

Thyme nodded in agreement with Rette and Happy, making Natsu's jaw drop. All three of his friends, even his best buddy, had all just agreed that he was childish and immature.

"You went to all the trouble of chasing after me for that...?" Yukino asked.

"It's because you looked so gloomy. I thought...that maybe I had made you feel bad." Natsu admitted.

"No...I'm sorry."

Even Rette could tell that Yukino was about to cry and that it had nothing to do with Natsu making her feel bad.

"No no no no...you're putting me on the spot if you're going to apologize." Natsu said.

"Natsu."

Natsu turned to look at Rette when she called his name. Rette shook her head and jerked her head towards Yukino. Natsu turned to look at her and froze when he saw the tears spilling down Yukino's face.

"It's even worse if you're going to cry...!" Natsu said.

"What...what's wrong!?" Happy asked.

Rette jolted forward to catch Yukino as her knees gave. She carefully eased the crying girl down to the ground and crouched next to her.

"I can't...I can't take it anymore. I...no one's ever treated me like this before." Yukino sobbed into her hands. "I...always looked up to Sabertooth. Last year, I finally got in, but...I'm...not allowed to go back anymore."

"What do you mean?" Rette asked, a bad feeling falling into the pit of her stomach.

"Just from that one loss...I was forced out. I was forced to be naked in front of a lot of people...and I had to erase the guild stamp with my own hand." Yukino sobbed.

Rette and Natsu both froze. Not only had Yukino been forced out of her home and had been forced to remove the symbol of that home herself, she had been forced to strip out of her clothes in front of several people to do so. Rette couldn't imagine the humiliation she had to have felt.

"It was so bitter and humiliating...my self-respect and my memories of the guild were completely destroyed. And despite all of that, I don't have a place to return to!" Yukino cried.

Rette, despite not knowing this girl and therefore having no reason to feel that way, felt her anger begin to well up in her chest. Who in the world could be so cruel as to do such a thing to a girl like this? Jiemma and Minerva, that's who. It made Rette's ill feelings towards them worse. Rette quickly calmed herself. She had to remind herself that even if she liked Yukino, what went on in Sabertooth was none of her concern. After all, it wasn't her guild. While she could help Yukino now, it wouldn't be her place to do anything about the previous incident.

"Sorry, I don't know how things are at other guilds, but..." Natsu said, trailing off.

"Yes...I'm sorry...I...just..."

"No. Don't apologize to us, Yukino. There is nothing for you to apologize for." Rette assured her, reaching back to pull a tissue out of one of the pouches on her belt.

She swiped Yukino's hair back to wipe her tears away.

"Though it may be another guild, if you say that "we're both mages" then I understand...I understand the bitterness of being humiliated and having your guild stamp erased. A guild that would make it's family cry...that's not a guild at all." Natsu growled.

Rette wheeled around as Natsu turned on his heel and ran off. Rette made a "tch" noise under her breath before looking at Happy.

"Go after him." Rette told him.

Happy nodded and took off. Rette turned back to Yukino. With Yukino still crying, Rette got her up off the ground and sat her on a bench before perching on the bench next to her, Thyme landing on her shoulder to peer at Yukino. She wiped Yukino's tears away, gently doing so until they tapered off.

"I'm sorry." Yukino apologized, sniffling.

"As I said, there's no need to apologize. You were hurt and deserve to cry. Personally...I don't have any tears left, but I definitely know what it's like to be humiliated by those that should have protected you from such a thing. If you need to cry, then you cry." Rette told her.

Yukino was surprised. When she had first saw Rette, all she had seen was the indifferent, almost cold mask that Rette wore all the time. Now that she was up close and Rette was extending a helping hand, she could see that that first impression was wrong.

"You do know?" Yukino asked.

The smile that Rette gave her was small. Just the barest of up lifts to the corners of her mouth. Thyme handed Rette a new tissues which she gave to Yukino.

"Yes. My life wasn't the best of lives when I was younger. But now...now I have Fairy Tail and Thyme, here. My family. They protect me and I protect them. We fight for each other, laugh with each other, cry with each other. That is what a guild is suppose to be. To see a guild treat it's members with so little care and respect...even I feel angry and anger can be very rare for me." Rette told her.

Yukino stared at Rette's honest eyes, seeing the flash of anger in their depths. She hung her head, wondering what she could have done to deserve the kindness and fierceness of these people who were her enemies until a few hours ago.

"Do you have somewhere to stay tonight?"

Yukino looked up at Rette in confusion. Her eyebrows furrowed leading to Rette clarifying her words.

"It might be a little crowded, but if you don't, you could stay with me and a few other guild mates at our lodgings." Rette offered.

"Oh! No, I have somewhere to stay for tonight." Yukino promised her.

"Good. You've had a rough day, so I suggest you get some rest. I just have one more question for you." Rette said.

Yukino gave her a questioning look. The look Rette leveled back at her was serious, straight, if not aloof, but her eyes blazed with an emotion that Yukino couldn't place.

"Where is Sabertooth lodged?"

-0-0-0-0-

The peaceful night around Corcus Garden's found the members of Sabertooth asleep, only to be rudely awaken as an intruder crashed into the build, blowing out windows and beating up members of the guild in his search for the guild's master. Sting, Rouge, Lector, and Forsch came into the foyer of the inn to find Natsu, in an angered state, plowing his way through their members, demanding to know where their master was.

"Do you have some business with me, brat?" Jiemma asked as he stepped forward.

"You're the master, huh? Kicked out just because of one loss? I'm all fired up." Natsu remarked. "If that's the case...if you lose to me, you quit the guild, too, then."

He was angry, his temper getting the best of him. Sting and his fellow teammates were surprised that Natsu had come to pick a fight with their master. To them, it was suicide to consider doing such a thing. But Natsu was perfectly serious. Jiemma carefully considered Natsu.

"Are you serious? Brat." Jiemma asked.

"People who take their family for granted...unforgivable." Natsu replied.

Was he talking about Yukino? Sting couldn't see where it was any of his business. After all, it was a matter of their guild, not Natsu's. And who would come barging into another guild's lodgings over something that didn't even concern them.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but you're acting out of you own sense of justice, huh?" Jiemma asked.

"You say that you don't know what I'm talking about?" Natsu asked, his anger kicking up a notch.

"Dobengal...be a reasonable opponent for him." Jiemma ordered of one of his members.

"Are you running away?" Natsu asked.

"It's one hundred years too early for the likes of a common guild soldier like you. If you want to fight with those on top, show me that you're qualified to do so." Jiemma replied.

Natsu, annoyed with Jiemma's refusal to fight him, plowed straight into the fight and downed his opponent with one hit, clearing the way to Jiemma. Sting stepped forward, asking his master to let him be the one to deal with Natsu.

"Stay back." Jiemma told him. "We don't have any brats like this here...amusing."

Jiemma blocked Natsu' first attack, sending him skidding back with just a flex of his arm. Natsu stopped himself quickly, aiming a punch up and under Jiemma's guard, landing it to his gut. His next punch hit right across Jiemma's left cheek, a hail of punches following quickly after. The last punch, aimed straight for Jiemma's face, was fire laced with lightning and was strong enough to smash through the walls. Smoke filled the room and when it cleared...Minerva stood between Natsu and her father, blocking attacks from both sides.

"The young lady..." Sting voiced in surprise.

"Have tonight's festivities extended to this vicinity as well?" Minerva asked, locking her eyes on Natsu.

"Minerva, you...who told you to..."

"Of course, even if the present state of affairs were to continue, Father would surely triumph." Minevra added, cutting off her father. "But there is such a thing as "maintaining appearances", after all. Putting aside the fact that you were the one that attacked us...if our master were to eliminate a participant in the Grand Magic Games...that would put us in a bind, as well."

Natsu was sure if Rette had been there, she would have told Minerva to shove her "appearances". While Fairy Tail didn't generally care what others thought about them, Rette really couldn't give two jewels what others thought about her. Natsu didn't care anymore than she did.

"Father got fired up in front of his subordinates, so it was clear that it was challenging for him to back down, as well. How about it? Will you allow me to save some face here?" Minerva asked Natsu.

She waved her hands in front of herself, the air distorting until Happy, tied up tightly, appeared in Minerva's arms, crying as she caressed his head.

"If so, then I can return this kitten to you, unharmed." Minerva said.

"Happy!" Natsu cried. "Damn it..."

"What I am saying is...even though you did in so many of our subordinates, we'll simply overlook this incident. I'm asking you to act in a mature fashion." Minerva said.

Natsu grit his teeth. As much as he still wanted to punch in Jiemma's face for what he had done to Yukino, he couldn't do that with Happy's well being on the line. He was about to bend to Minerva's will when Happy suddenly cracked. Surprised, Minerva, and everyone else, focused on Happy, watching as his body cracked again, his whole body turning into a blue-purple crystal which then shattered, leaving Minerva's arms empty.

"That magic..." Natsu voiced lowly, his face going pale. "I'm dead."

Sting stared at Natsu. The pink haired boy was going whiter and whiter by the second, his eyes going wide like he had just seen his own death. He had never seen such a look on the usually fearless Natsu's face.

"Natsu...what do you think you're doing?"

Natsu went as stiff as a board when a low voice sounded from behind him. He gulped and turned to face the person who had called him. Those of Sabertooth looked past him to the open front doors. Staring back at Natsu with blank, yet heavy in presence magenta-lavender eyes, was Rette. Her arms were crossed lightly over her stomach and she carried an air of aloof indifference to everything around her, but those eyes showed that there was some kind of emotion boiling under the surface. She didn't even pay the people laying on the ground or the damage around her, a single glance. Her eyes were fixed on Natsu, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but right there.

"...uh...h-hey, Rette." Natsu greeted.

Rette.

None of those who had been on the Sabertooth team four years before had forgotten the hellish demon Rette had become when her anger had gotten the best of them. She had almost dealt a very fatal blow to Minerva after she had purposely kicked Laki when she was down and out of the game. While she didn't look furious, as she had then, the blazing of her eyes suggested that anger was close at hand. The question was...was she angry at them or Natsu?

"I asked you a question, Natsu. Answer it." Rette said, making Natsu grit his teeth.

"You were there, Rette! You heard what she told us! What they did to her!" Natsu yelled.

"Yes, I did." Rette replied.

"Then why-"

"It's not our place to stick our noses into the affairs of another guild. It's not our guild, so we have no say in how they treat their members." Rette said simply.

Natsu couldn't believe his ears. Rette wasn't heartless, no matter how she acted, but she was being oddly detached with this whole thing. Normally she had more compassion for others and he knew she hated Minerva and her father, if not Sabertooth as a whole. He couldn't understand what was going on.

"Rette!" he snapped.

"Don't "Rette" me, Natsu. Whether I agree with their treatment of her or not, to simply attack their guild like this...are you trying to risk all we've being trying to achieve here? What would Master say?" Rette replied.

Natsu flinched. In two simple little sentences, Rette had completely made him feel crappy. She had reminded him that they were there to win the tournament, not for the title or themselves, but for their guild mates. Getting carried away like this could cause them to get kicked out of the Games and then they wouldn't be able to do what they had come there to do.

"B-but Happy!" Natsu argued.

"Happy's fine. I arrived at the entrance before she did and knew what was coming our way. I simply replaced him." Rette replied, half turning towards the door behind her. "Thyme."

Beside Sting, Lector let out a low, "whoa!" as a small silver cat with black paws and white wings, came flying into view. She carried in her little, black paws, a somewhat groggy Happy.

"Happy!" Natsu cried in relief.

Happy fully came too, his own relief bringing tears to his eyes. Thyme sat Happy on the floor, letting him run to Natsu. Minerva, surprised to find herself out maneuvered, looked Rette over. In the four years since they had last seen each other, Rette had learned to down play her magic energy, to hide it, which was probably why Minvera had over looked the girl when she thought she had captured the blue cat.

Rette didn't even glance at the members of Sabertooth. She watched as Natsu picked Happy up, cradling him in his arms. Without a word, she walked up to Natsu, stopping at his side and turning to look up at him.

"See? Happy is fine. If you want to get your own justice, then settle accounts in the arena, not outside of it. You need to think before you act and learn to contain your temper, Natsu. While we don't care about appearances, there is such a thing as "common sense". While, yes, you normally lack it,"

"Hey!"

"That doesn't mean you can act like an idiot and come here, damaging property." Rette said, continuing even when Natsu snapped at her for calling him brainless. "Besides...if you wanted to help her, running off and leaving her, crying, in the middle of a street, isn't exactly the best way to start."

Natsu flinched again, hanging his head slightly. He really hadn't thought that part through. Though, Yukino had been in good hands with Rette around. She wasn't likely to run off and leave a person in need without anyone to help.

"She's fine, Happy's alright, and the rest of this can be settled during the Games. For now, you need to head back to Honeybone and hope I don't tan your hide for this brainless act of self-fulfilling justice." Rette told him.

"But-"

"I'm sorry, did that **sound** like a request?" Rette asked, cutting off Natsu's argument.

Natsu froze, stiffening up, his face draining of color once more, as Rette's eyes sharpened, just slightly. He knew that look. It was the look Rette got just before she lost her temper and begun demolishing things by crystallizing it and then shattering it. A chill worked it's way up his spine as he felt the first creeping tendrils of dark power coming from her.

"Leave Natsu... **Now**." Rette said, her tone dropping just a notch.

Natsu didn't stick around. It was either get lost or get hurt and he wasn't about to give Rette a reason to turn her temper on him. He turned on his heel and bolted to the door, leaving Rette in his wake. That was another first for Sting. He had never seen Natsu run like that, like he was running from hell itself. Natsu, carrying Happy, vanished around the door frame, Rette leaning her head back to watch him.

"That's what I thought." she remarked before turning to finally fix her gaze on Minerva and her father.

There was nothing in her expression for them to read. No anger, annoyance, nothing. Minerva couldn't tell what she was thinking.

"Minerva." Rette said in empty greeting.

"Rette. My, it must be such a trial to be the only one with any sense in your guild." Minerva remarked.

Rette heaved a sigh. She reached up, running a hand through her bangs as she turned to look over her shoulder. So they were going to start this little fued right here and now, huh? Alright then. Two could play that little game.

"Oh, joy...you're still a talker. I don't really understand talkers. All that pointless arrogance has to be bothersome." Rette remarked.

"Excuse you?" Minerva asked.

"We both know that I don't stutter, Minerva, and we both know, your little intimidation act doesn't work on me." Rette said simply.

She met Minerva's eyes straight on, not daunted in the least. Sting and his teammates might have been surprised that she was able to keep the indifferent look in the face of possibly their strongest member, if they hadn't seen Rette in a fit of anger before.

"I don't believe in beating around the bush, so I'll skip the niceties. I may have come here to stop my less than thoughtless guild mate, but had the circumstances been different...I would have been here cheering him on." Rette said.

Surprise, surprise. Guild mates tended to think alike.

"Unlike Natsu, though, I know how to pick my battles and this isn't one I find any interest in. We both know who comes out on top when I lose my temper." Rette said, eyes flashing.

Minerva grit her teeth, despising the reminder of her near defeat at Rette's hands four years previous. Had time not run out, Minerva was sure she would have gotten off much worse than she had. Rette didn't play around when she was furious.

"Now, I won't say I don't find your treatment of Yukino anything but lower than low, but eventually...karma comes does come into play." Rette said, her eyes going to Jiemma, who raised an eyebrow. "It might not come at the hands of Fairy Tail, as Natsu wants, but you will get what's coming to you and, I guarantee you...it's going to be painful."

With that, Rette turned on her heels and walked away.

"You think you can talk to us that way?" Minerva asked.

"Yeah, that's another thing. You know that I don't care who or what you are. I'll talk however I see fit." Rette said, turning to look at her. "I'm here for one reason and one reason only and it's doesn't have anything to do with you. Get over yourself. I assure you, you are **not** all you think you are."

"And you're saints in your guild?" Minerva scoffed.

"Can't raise hell with saints. If there's anything we're good at in Fairy Tail, it's raising a little hell. In case you haven't noticed." Rette replied, gesturing around her to take in the damage Natsu had left.

Rette turned back around and walked away. Her little cat companion, who had locked her eyes on Lector and Forcsh, hovered in the air. Silently, Rette raised a hand and jerked two fingers. As if hearing the silent call of her name, Thyme's ears perked up, the bell earrings jingling. She spun around and flew over to Rette, landing on her shoulder to wrap her long-furred tail around Rette's neck. Her paws instantly went up, her expression changing, as if she was talking, but no words left her mouth.

"I'll explain later." Rette told Thyme.

Thyme's expression changed again.

"Well you don't have to yell my ear off. Just because they can't hear you, doesn't mean I can't." Rette retorted.

Thyme's paws flew to her mouth and, with a sheepish look, her ears went back on her head. Rette reached up to pat her head. As if Rette couldn't get any stranger, apparently she could hear the thoughts of a cat. At the door, Rette paused for a moment.

"Just two more things. One, we won't lose to you. Fairy Tail never gives up on we want. You may have been the kings and queens for the last few years, but we're back to full fighting force now. It's won't just be my strength to carry the guild this time. And secondly...a guild should be a family and you should take care of your family. That you haven't..." Rette looked over her shoulder. "Yukino's too good for you."

They all stared as Rette vanished out the door, never once fearing that any of them would attack her from behind. Same old Rette. It was clear that not much had changed with Rette in four years. She was still indifferent to the world, not caring about anything anyone said or did, and she obviously still had that dark power that only came out when she was angry. Not to mention that Natsu, who had almost beaten Jiemma, was scared of her. While Minerva didn't want to admit it, her teammates understood why. And in four years, Rette had to have grown in strength.

What kind of monster was the girl now?

Was she really so strong now that Natsu had a reason to be afraid of her?

Whatever the case was, she had angered Minerva just as she had the last time they met.

The Games were only going to become more interesting.

END

Kyandi: While, yes, I know I'm following the manga and the whole scene of all of the other girls joining Mira and Jenny wasn't in the manga, I just couldn't help but add it.

Rette: She did it for no other reason than the wedding dress scene with Orga and Laxus.

Kyandi: Oh, come on! A jealous Laxus is amusing.

Rette: Not when you're trapped between him and Orga...literally!

Kyandi: Okay, I see your point.

Rette: Thank you.

Kyandi: We'll change subjects. Everyone, I've been curious for a while about a project I have in mind, so I put a pole up on my profile. Please go and vote.

Rette: She might decide not to give you all a new chapter if you don't.

Kyandi: I just might. With that in mind, everyone enjoy, review, and go vote!

Rette: We'll come back after we get some votes.

Kyandi: Bye bye!


	15. Day ThreeEnter the Nexus Mage

Kyandi: Hehe!

Rette: You're still laughing?

Kyandi: Yep, but for a different reason.

Rette: What this time?

Kyandi: A review about you being badass.

Rette: What, do you disagree?

Kyandi: I'm going to plead the fifth and zip my mouth.

Rette: Probably a good idea.

Kyandi: With that in mind, everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 15 Day Three...Enter The Nexus Mage

Day Three of the Grand Magic Games dawned with Rette leaving her room, finger combing her hair as she yawned. Her roommates had just gotten up as she was leaving the room and none of her other guild mates had yet to get up. Which wasn't odd. Rette was an early riser. Usually that early rising was in order to open the guild hall and do paper work, but even on vacation, she couldn't break the habit.

She was heading down the stairs, a still half asleep Thyme on her shoulder at the current moment. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she found Makarov. Jellal, dressed as Mystogan, was just vanishing through a window.

What, exactly, was that about?

"Morning, Master." Rette greeted.

Makarov turned to look at Rette. Rette raised an eyebrow when he eyed her. She really couldn't help but wonder if she should have stayed in bed when he suddenly grinned.

"Master...are you alright?" Rette asked.

"Just fine. Rette...how would you like to do your dear master a favor?" Makarov asked.

Rette really felt like she should have stayed in bed.

-0-0-0-0-

"The Grand Magic Games have finally entered the middle portion of the competition, here on the third day."

Cheers filled the stadium as Chapati announced the start of the third day of the Games. He introduced the guest announcer which was Lahar from the Magic Council.

"The third day's competition is Pandemonium. There will be one participant from each guild!" Chaptai announced. "It seems from Fairy Tail A, we have Erza Scarlett."

Erza stepped forward for her team, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, and Wendy cheering her on.

"From Mermaid Heel, it's Milianna."

Milianna joined Erza, excited to step forward for her guild. She urged Erza not to lose as she passed her.

"For Raven Tail, it's the mysterious Obra."

A masked man wearing a black cloak and a tall hat, stepped forward for Raven Tail, silently joining the others.

"Hibiki Lates will be participating for Blue Pegasus!"

Women went nuts in the crowd as Hibiki stepped forward, their cheers drowning out everyone else for the moment.

"From the mighty Sabertooth, it's Orga Nanagear."

Orga stepped forward, claiming he would turn his competition to black lightning chili. A disturbing image indeed.

"We have Jura Neekis stepping forth for Lamia Scale."

Jura, under orders from his guild master, stepped forward for his team, a smile on his face as he joined the others.

"Playing for Quatro Puppy will be Novally."

Laughter sounded as Novally, a little, unnoticeable guy, stepped out for his guild under it's new name.

"And finally...what's this? Stepping in for Fairy Tail B's Mystogan, the only one of her kind in the world, the Lady of Synthesis, the Queen of Fusion, we have the Nexus Mage herself...Fairy Tail B's Rette Starrilia!"

All eyes turned to Rette as she stepped forward for her team, looking as cool and unaffected as she always did. Today's outfit was a pair of barely-there shorts with laces replacing the sides and an off the shoulder, cropped off top that barely contained her chest with a sleeveless long jacket worn over it. Muttering filled the stands as she walked out onto the field.

Rette, though she didn't show it, was actually a little happy to be taking part in the Games along side the friends she had missed for so long. Makarov had asked her that morning to take Jellal's place. Since the guest announcer was a member of the Magic Council, Jellal didn't want to take the chance of being recognized. Rette had gladly agreed. She came to a stop next to Erza, Erza giving her a smile.

"Now I'll explain the rules of Pandemonium." said the Games' mascot, Matu.

Before them, a large castle came to life, complete with skull decorations. To Rette, it looked like some haunted house attraction one would find in an amusement park.

"The temple where evil monsters nest...Pandemonium."

The name fit the appearance of the place. And it was huge. Rette doubted she could construct such a structure on her own and so quickly. Even with the increase in power from seven years of training, it would still take her some time to construct something of that size. The organizers had to have several people at work creating the playing fields they competed on every day.

"Within the temple there are one hundred monsters. Well, they're called that, but they're magical tools that we've created. They won't attack any of you in the audience or anything like that, so relax. The monsters are divided into five levels of battle power: D, C, B, A, S. The specifics are like this. Incidentally...in regards to the kind of strength that D-class monsters have..." Matu said, gesturing up as a lacrima screen formed to show them an image from inside the temple.

The video feed showed a monster, large and spiked from head to toe, crashing into walls and demolishing solid stone with ease. The strength of such a feat would be enough to defeat a normal person.

"Ones like that and even stronger ones than that...the place where one hundred of them are lurking around, that is Pandemonium." Matu told them. "As the class goes up, please note that the battle power goes up exponentially. The S-class monster has strength such that even one of the Ten Wizard Saints can't be guaranteed to defeat it."

All eyes turned to Jura who was a member of the Ten Wizard Saints.

"In order, each of you will take turns selecting a number of monsters to figth with. This is called your "challenge right". For example, if one chooses "3", then three monsters will appear within the temple. If one succeeds in defeating the three...that competitor gets three points. Then, the next competitor may exercise their "challenge right" amongst the ninety-seven remaining monsters. This will continue until zero monsters remain, or everyone's magical power reaches zero...at which point the competition will end." Matu explained.

"Quite the interesting challenge." Rette remarked, Erza agreeing.

"It's like a counting game, huh." Milianna said.

"Exactly. Situational judgment becomes quite important. However, like I said before, the monsters have ranks. So be it one monster or five monsters that you choose with your Challenge Right, it's a system where the monsters appear randomly." Matu replied.

"In other words...some sort of battle strategy to avoid drawing the S-rank monster is necessary, huh." Hibiki remarked.

"If it's random, that sort of strategy wouldn't work, then." Orga told him.

"No...with probability theory and my Archive...a strategy will work to some extent." Hibiki insisted.

"Points are given for the number of defeated monsters, with no regard to the monsters' rank. Once you've entered the temple, you will be unable to withdraw until you've won." Matu added.

"And if you happen to go down while inside the temple?" Rette asked.

"Then the number of points you've earned up until that turn will be as it is. The number of victories for that turn itself will be counted as zero, and you'll exit like that." Matu answered.

"So it would be bad to pick too many at first, but also bad to pick just one or two a turn. In this kind of game, the first to go will be at the greatest advantage. It simply will come down to the luck of the draw." Rette remarked. "Right Erza."

Erza agreed with Rette. Matu held out a box with sticks sticking up out of a hole in the top. They each drew one to reveal the number on the stick. Rette drew eight while Erza drew one. Rette glanced over at Erza's stick and heaved a sigh, swinging her stick around idly.

"Well...this game is over." Rette remarked, making the other participants look at her.

Rette didn't say anything as Erza stepped forward.

"I agree with Rette. I was thinking this competition would all come down to the luck of the draw." Erza remarked.

"The luck of the draw? No...no...how should I put this? It's a game where maintaining your pace and situational judgment are more important than just the order of battle." Matu said.

"Not anymore, it's not." Rette said, drawing all attention back to her where she stood, looking bored. "Erza drew the number one slot. This game is over."

Erza stepped forward, with a smile on her face. She proudly, and confidently, proclaimed that all one hundred monsters would be her opponent. Rette heaved a sigh as everyone stared at Erza as if she had lost her mind. That was Erza, alright.

"That...That's impossible! It's not set up so that one person could possibly defeat them all!" Matu insisted.

"I don't care." was Erza's reply.

Erza stepped into the temple, surprising everyone as she fearlessly took on all one hundred monsters. Even as she became covered in wounds, she danced through the monsters, taking them down one after another.

"That's Erza for you."

The others glanced at Rette as she watched the lacrima screen, her arms lightly crossed over her stomach, her expression unchanging. She tilted her head to the side as, on the screen, Erza took down another monsters.

"She, herself, is a monster. It was all over the moment she drew the number one slot. She'll take them all out and leave us with nothing. How utterly boring." Rette remarked.

Sure enough, Ezra, with the cheering yells of her guild mates filling the air, demolished every single monster in the temple. Quickly and with pride, she brought the game to an end. Rette felt a great pride in her chest as she watched a beaten and battered Erza, thrust her sword into the air, declaring victory for her team. The crowd broke into loud cheers and applause, cheering on a team that they had booed the first day.

"Fairy Tail A's Erza Scarlet dominates! A massive victory that brooks no complaints! This huge applause has yet to stop!" Chapati announced. "Pandemonium has been completely suppressed! Fairy Tail A earns ten points."

Rette walked up to Erza, holding out a fist. Erza, with a smile, bumped her fist against Rette's.

"Magnificent as always." Rette told her.

"You don't lose either." Erza replied.

"I don't plan to." Rette assured her.

Low muttering fell over the stadium as the organizers discussed how they would go about ranking the remaining seven teams. Rette remained with the other six competitors as they waited to find out what they would do. Finally, some kind of device Rette had never seen before, was brought onto the field.

"Discussion has concluded that the remaining seven teams must finish establishing a rank order. It's a little banal, but we've prepared a simple game." Chapati announced.

"Magic Power Finder, MPF. When this device is struck with magical power, that power is represented numerically. Those numerical values will be used to establish a ranking." Matu explained, gesturing to the device.

"A simple comparison of power, huh...that probably leaves me at a bit of a disadvantage." Hibiki said, stepping up beside Rette. "By the way, Rette, are you free tonight?"

"If by free you mean do I have time to take away from making sure my team doesn't destroy half the city, then no, I'm not." Rette replied idly.

She sounded so bored with the situation, that her team felt like this was going to end badly. Juvia cupped her mouth and yelled down to Rette.

"Rette, the competition's not over, yet!" Juvia yelled.

Rette's only reply was to wave a hand over her head.

They really had a bad feeling.

"We'll continue with the order that was determined previously." Matu said.

With that, Milianna, who had drawn the number two slot, stepped forward. She hit the MPF with her Kitten Blast spell, earning her three hundred and sixty-five as her power reading.

"We don't know if that number is high or not, without any basis for comparison, huh." Chapati announced.

"That device is used in our Rune Knight training as well. That's a high number. It's at a level sufficient to become a squad captain." Lahar replied.

Rette gave Milianna a congratulating nod of her head to which Milianna smiled. Next up was Novally who only managed to get a one hundred and twenty-four for his ranking. Hibiki stepped forward next, and ended up in a somewhat depressed state when he only got ninety-five.

"Comfort me, Rette!" Hibiki called, holding his arms out to Rette.

"Not a chance."

Shoot down so brutally by Rette, Hibiki retreated, his head hanging. Rette ignored him, focusing forward as Obra stepped forward to take his turn. She felt a little like she should be offended when all Obra got was a four. She knew he had magic and strong magic at that, but this...this was sad.

Orga was next, his black lightning earning a whomping three thousand, eight hundred and twenty-five. A score ten times that of the previous first place, Milianna. Rette had a feeling that Laxus would have a fun time challenging Orga. She, personally, had no interest. Jura was next. Taking the task seriously, he earned a score of eight thousand, five hundred and forty-four. After working at the S-class level along side him for so many years, she expected that of him.

After Orga and Jura, Rette knew a normal person in her shoes would feel nervous or even dejected. Even being ranked as S-class, Rette wasn't considered to be as strong as Jura who was one of the Ten Wizard Saints. But she wasn't nervous or dejected. She had a plan up her sleeve and therefore, wasn't the least bit nervous.

"This...this is a new record for MPF! The title of Wizard Saint isn't just for show! The last challenger is Fairy Tail B's Nexus Mage, Rette Starrilia." Chapati announced.

All eyes turned to Rette, who still appeared bored out of her mind. After seeing the kind of destruction and rage Rette was capable of, four years before, everyone had their eyes trained on her. Among normal participants, Rette was a high roller. When put up against higher class participants like Orga and Jura, she was about mid to low class. Normally, at least.

Rette's guild mates weren't sure that sending her out was the best idea. Rette didn't normally go for competitions. From what they had been told, it had taken some serious arm twisting to get her to take part the one other time she had participated. Some of them were sure, despite what they had seen of her power, that she couldn't match up to Orga and Jura, even if she was interested in the competition. They just hoped she hit the triple digits high enough to claim third place.

"It must be tough to follow up Jura...let's have her try her best!" Chapati called into his mic.

"I wouldn't count Rette out just yet." Yajima said. "She was strong when she took part four years ago and has quite the temperment, as we've seen. But she's also the type that can be very protective and possessive of her guild. Despite her bored look, this competition has to have her stirred up. I wouldn't want to get her riled up."

"I can confirm that." Lahal said, remembering the one time his knights had gone up against her.

She had wacked them around like they were nothing.

Down below, Rette turned to the ref, her expression still blank and her arms crossed over her stomach.

"Do you mind if I get a little distance?" she asked.

"O-of course! Whatever you please!" he replied.

Rette nodded and turned. She placed a few yards between her and the MPF. When she judged herself to be far enough, she turned back to face it. Her eyes went to the pumpkin headed ref and she waved her hand at him.

"You might want to get away from the MPF." she told him.

Squeaking, the ref scrambled away from the tool. If it required her to get some distance, he didn't want to be caught in the cross fire. Rette held out her arms when he was clear of her firing range. Taking a deep breath, she started.

"Light of the left, O Heaven of the right...Nexus Magic."

As normal with her Nexus magic, half of a yellow-white magic circle appeared around her right hand, half of a dark purple-ish black magic circle appearing around the left. Her hands came together, the palms pressing flat against each other. The magic circles melded together to form a magic circle that was a blend of black, purple, and white. Her hands, still pressed together, went above her head and the magic circle grew to cover the battle field. The clouds above grew dark and started to swirl.

"Heavenly Starlight Trifold Magic Circle!" Rette called.

Two more magic circles appeared below the first, getting smaller as they approached the ground. Wind kicked up around Rette, whipping her hair about her. The magic power that fell over the field was, without a doubt, on par with Orga at least. Many people stared in disbelief, Rette's own guild mates among them, many pinning their hair to their heads as wind whipped through the stadium.

None of Rette's guild mates had ever heard of this spell, not even those who had lived with her for seven years, but Erza understood why Rette had sought out Jellal for her training over the years. It was so he could teach her Heavenly Body magic. She already knew this, but she didn't know that Rette had already managed to mix Jellal's Sema spell with her own magic. On the field, Rette's hands spread apart, causing the clouds above to part in a massive funnel looking formation.

"O blinding light of the heavens, the guiding brilliance of the great sky, make thyself known!" Rette called to the heavens, before her left hand came down and she pointed two fingers, the index and middle finger, at the MPF. "Sema Lumen!"

The sky opened up, a ball of light like that of a falling star, falling down from the sky, to hit the MPF. A pillar of light shot into the sky, blinding everyone with the intensity of the power that exploded outward from the impact. A power gust of wind exploded outward, rocking everyone. When the light cleared, the MPF, now broken, recorded her power number as a whomping 9999.

Shocked gasps rang out from around the arena, everyone staring in shock. Laxus let out a curt laugh as Mira and Juvia cheered. Leave it to Rette to make it big and make it flashy. She hated to be out shined when she knew she could shine just as brightly, if not brighter. The Sabertooth team stared at Rette as the announcer called that no one could stop Fairy Tail now. Sting couldn't believe the power Rette had displayed.

Rette knew it was just raw power. She would never be able to cast more than one Sema Lumen spell in the span of a day or two. It took way too much magic power. She would have never been able to manage it if Ultear hadn't given her access to her Second Origin. But she wasn't going to tell anyone that. Instead she turned to look out at the crowd. Rette threw her chin up and spread her arms before giving the crowd a grand bow. When her head came back up, her chin went up defiantly.

"We won't go down, we're unstoppable. You can say what you want, mock us even, because we won't be stopped, won't give in! We're Fairy Tail after all!" Rette called out loudly for everyone in the arena to hear. "Take your best shot!"

Cheers rung out from the crowd, the loudest coming from her own guild mates. Rette dropped her arms and turned, casting her gaze up to the spot where the members of the Sabertooth team stood, staring down at her. She gave them a pointed stare, before her chin went up. If they wanted to pick a fight, start a battle...Fairy Tail would bring a war down on their heads. Rette might not have wanted to start something outside of the arena, but inside...she'd be more than happy to bring the war to their door step.

With that, Rette turned and left the battle arena to return to her teammates. Laxus, Gajeel, Juvia, and Mira turned to her the moment she walked up to them. Juvia instantly jumped at Rette, throwing her arms around her neck and congratulating her on her victory over the other six teams.

"That is quite a powerful new form of Nexus magic." Mira remarked.

"In the seven years you were gone, I had a " **certain someone** " teach me Heavenly Body magic and I managed to combine it with both my Light of Creation magic and Crystallization magic. That was the combination with the former. Takes a bit of magic, but I extended my store of magical power over the years. Most of it in one fell swoop." Rette replied.

With that last part, she and Juvia shared a look, Juvia smiling.

"What are you talking about?" Laxus asked, looking between the two.

"I'll explain it to you later. There are too many prying ears close." Rette promised him.

"You can explain it to me tonight. In private, over dinner." Laxus offered.

"Seven years and you still don't give up, do you?" Rette asked, looking at him.

"I am a part of Fairy Tail and Fairy Tail never gives up. You said so yourself."he replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Oh, so now you're going to use my own words against me? You're not earning yourself any points here. At least wait until after this tournament is over before asking me out again." Rette told him, crossing her arms.

"Asking you out? So, wait...you really aren't interested in Gray?" Juvia asked, looking between Laxus and Rette.

"I already told you that." Rette replied idly.

Gajeel suddenly smacked a hand down on Rette's back, jolting her forward a step, a grin on his face as he did.

"You're not half bad, Starrilia." he told her.

"'Not half bad'? You are aware that a spell like that could level a town, right?" Rette asked.

Gajeel just waved her off even though they were all pretty sure that she was telling the truth. They had sensed the sheer amount of magic that went into the spell. Rette might only be able to cast the spell once or twice a day, but if the attack hit...it was one that could do a lot of damage to a wide area.

"With this, we've started our come back!" Juvia cheered.

"Yeah...now let's keep it going." Rette remarked.

Events moved on to the battle portion of the day. The first match was Milianna verses Semas from Quatro Cerberus. Despite being about three or four times Milianna's size, Semas went down easily, Milianna not having to break a sweat. Rette was glad to see how far Milianna had come. She seemed to be doing well with guild life and Rette was sure that Erza was happy for her friend, too.

The second match featured Rufus verses Eve. Rette remembered when she and her team had teamed up with Eve, his team, Wendy and Carla, and members of Lamia Scale. Eve had been a splendid fighter back then and Rette had only watched him grow in power in the years since. Despite that increase in power, he didn't stand a chance against Rufus who used a fire based spell to attack Eve, who used snow based magic. Heavily burned, Eve went down, Rufus winning the fight.

"I don't like that team."

Mira, Juvia, Gajeel, and Laxus glanced at Rette when she spoke. Her eyes were fixed on the balcony across from them, that hosted the Sabertooth team. Her eyes were set fiercely on Minerva. While Rette didn't have a real opinion on the other four members of the team, as individuals, she **knew** she didn't like Minerva.

"No, I don't like **her**. That woman rubs me the wrong way. When I see her, I get the sudden urge to wipe pavement with her smug face." Rette added, her words sounding hostile while her tone was still carefully indifferent.

The others looked at each other. Rette wasn't usually one to admit out loud when someone really got under her skin. Yes, she called people annoying when they annoyed her, but that was more to mess with people than anything. That she was admitting that Minerva angered her beyond belief, just showed how much Rette really disliked her.

"She can't be that bad." Mira said.

"I don't use the word, "hate" very often when speaking of people, but...I really hate her." Rette replied.

"I suppose she is that bad, then." Mira said, sweat-dropping.

Minerva glanced up from where she stood, feeling like someone was trying to drill holes into her with their eyes. Her eyes instantly found the balcony of Fairy Tail's B team. Rette, who stood at the forefront, was staring down at the arena below. Minerva had been sure that she had been watching her just a second before, but Rette never once glanced up.

"Next up, let's start the third match." Matu called. "Fairy Tail B's Laxus Dreyar verses Raven Tail's Alexei."

Rette turned to look at Laxus behind her before turning her eyes to find this Alexei person among his teammates. She didn't like the feeling she got from him. Then again, she didn't like the feeling she got from his team's balcony. It felt kind of like...an echo. Something fishy was going on.

"Be careful, Laxus. I have a bad feeling." Rette told him.

Laxus glanced at her. He raised an eyebrow at her in questioning and Rette's eyes darted towards the Raven Tail balcony.

"Something feels off, magically. Keep your eyes peeled." Rette told him.

"Got it." Laxus replied before heading down to the field.

Rette watched him walk off for a moment before she turned to follow him.

"I'll be right back." she told her teammates.

Mira laughed softly to herself as she watched Rette hurry after Laxus. Rette might deny it, but she really did care about Laxus. Rette called Laxus' name as she hurried after him. Laxus stopped and turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow as she came to a stop a few feet from him.

"Here." Rette called, throwing something to him. "For luck."

Laxus caught it and opened his hand. A silver chain hung from his grip, a small charm nestled in his palm. It was a small, clear crystal with a swirling dance of yellow and green lightning inside. Laxus could feel both his magical power and Rette's coming from the small charm and knew it had to be result of Rette trapping both of their magics into a single one of her Conductor Crystals.

He looked up at her, a smirk curling his lips. When she saw the smirk on his lips, she turned her head from him. He could have sworn he saw a blush on her cheeks.

"Don't read too much into it. It's just for luck. Be careful around that Alexei guy. I'll be seriously angry if you let yourself get hurt and beaten." she told him.

Laxus chuckled. She was so obvious that it was actually adorable. He put the necklace around his neck, dropping the charm under the collar of his shirt. While he would keep the good luck charm...he wanted a different good luck charm. Rette was shocked when he lightly took hold of her chin and turned her head around, tilting her chin up. Rette's eyes went wide and she could feel her cheeks burn when he kissed her. It was a short, innocently chaste kiss, but she couldn't hide her embarrassment when he pulled back.

"See, now that look... **that** look I like." he told her.

"Annoying jerk!" Rette retorted, swatting him on the chest. "Get going already!"

Laxus released her chin, chuckling to himself as he turned and walked away. Rette pressed her hands to her cheeks, her heart pounding in her chest and a heat she had never felt before, welling up inside her. That was a new feeling, though, if she was honest...it wasn't an unpleasant one.

"I mean it, Laxus Dreyar! You better be careful!" she called after him.

Laxus waved a hand over his shoulder to show he had heard her. Rette heaved a huff and returned to her teammates to watch the match. When she rejoined them, Mira grinned at seeing her face. Apparently Rette was still blushing.

"You're blushing. What happened?" Mira asked, almost in a sing song voice.

"Drop it. Just drop it. I really don't want to talk about it." Rette said.

"He kissed you, didn't he?" Mira asked.

Rette hung her head as Juvia yelled, "What!?" really loudly and Gajeel stared at her wide eyed. Rette turned her eyes onto Mira.

"You know, you're amazingly perceptive for someone who usually acts airheaded." Rette muttered, only getting a smile in return.

Rette turned to watch the field as Laxus and Alexei faced off, just ready to drop the subject. She really didn't want to discuss with anyone whether or not Laxus had kissed her. It was embarrassing enough that he had. She didn't need to share it with her guild mates.

"Go Laxus!" Mira cheered.

"There should be nothing to worry about. It's Laxus after all." Gajeel remarked.

"But...Juvia feels some sort of unpleasant premonition..." Juvia remarked.

"You and I both, Juvia." Rette agreed.

Rette knew, according to Makarov's orders, that Bisca was perched somewhere high, watching Ivan through the scoop of one of her guns. Warren would be keeping in contact with her through his magic. She also knew that Lisanna, Bixlow, Freed, and Evergreen were keeping tabs on the other members of Raven Tail's team. Rette had her own orders from Makarov.

" _Rette...Master wants a report_..." came Thyme's voice in Rette's head.

" _I feel something off. The magic around the members of Raven Tail...it feels like an echo._ " Rette replied silently.

Thyme, standing on the wall beside Makarov, perked up, her ears twitching, sending the bells ringing. Makarov looked at Thyme.

"Thyme? A report from Rette?" Makarov asked.

Thyme nodded, the bells ringing even more.

"She said she feels something off. Like an echo of magic." Thyme replied lowly.

"An echo?" Makarov asked. "Can she tell what?"

Thyme focused for a moment. A glance towards the balcony where Rette stood, they could see her shaking her head as she replied to whatever question Thyme had asked.

"No, Master." Thyme replied.

Makarov really felt uncomfortable now. Rette's magical sense was usually never wrong. If she felt something off, then there was something off. But if Rette couldn't tell what it was, then there was nothing they could do for now.

"Just tell her to keep her senses peeled." Makarov told Thyme.

Thyme nodded and relayed the message to Rette. On her balcony, Rette nodded to herself. She focused on the match as the starting gong rang. To Rette's eyes, the match started instantly, Alexei attacking and slamming an elbow into Laxus' chin. The attacks followed one after the other, Laxus unable to counter or defend. That was what Rette **saw**. What her magical sense told her, was different. Rette could sense Laxus and Alexei and neither were moving, yet her eyes saw differently. It made her head hurt as her eyes tried to see what her senses were picking up. Rette pressed a hand to her forehead, Thyme's voice chiming in her inner ear.

" _Rette!? What's wrong!? You're in pain!_ " Thyme exclaimed, concerned.

" _It's fine. Something's going on. My eyes were seeing something completely different from what my senses are telling me._ " Rette told her.

Thyme relayed the message to Makarov. Makarov glanced over to the balcony where Rette had one hand braced on the guard wall before her and the other pressed to her head. His eyes then went to the fight below. Rette was seeing one thing and sensing another? Did someone on the Raven Tail team know of Rette's heightened sense for magic and was doing something to mess with her? Lisanna, though, reported that the members of Raven Tail's team hadn't moved and Bisca claimed that Ivan was doing nothing but watching.

What was going on.

Rette searched her knowledge of magic, trying to think of something to explain what was going on. There was only one other time, that she could think of, in which she saw one thing while her senses told her something different and that had been back during the Nirvana incident in which Midnight had been using his illusion magic...

That was it!

It was illusion magic!

As Rette became away of that, the illusion, as with all illusion magic, was shattered. The weakness of illusion magic was that once a person became aware of it, it no longer worked. Rette's eyes were finally able to see what her senses felt. The Laxus and Alexei she had been seeing, the two fighting, vanished and she was able to see the real ones and hear them. They were simply talking. While Rette knew she should probably report this to Makarov, she wanted to see what Alexei's aim was first.

"It seems like you're admired even in the guild. I wonder what your friends are feeling right now, as they watch this." Alexei remarked.

Laxus glanced up towards the stands, his eyes finding Rette. Rette was currently fiddling with something hanging around her neck. Whatever it was, it flashed in the sunlight. The charm around his neck, that she gave him, suddenly grew warm and then Rette's eyes focused in on his, as if she could see through the illusion. She knew what was going on. She had to. He was certain of it when one corner of her mouth curled up just slightly.

"No...Rette knows me better than that. She knows what's going on." Laxus remarked.

Alexei turned to look at Rette as she leaned against the guard wall, appearing completely unconcerned but completely clued in to what was going on behind the illusion.

"But I don't understand your intentions at all. What's the point of you winning with an illusion?" Laxus asked.

Not that he was too concerned with what his guild mates thought, at the moment. One glance towards his team told him that at least Rette could see through the illusion. If Rette knew, it only took one word through her link with Thyme before the others became aware as well.

"Exactly. Our aim isn't "victory". This illusion is just a smokescreen. Illusions are illusions. We can change the results however we like. Depending on our discussion , I can even let you win." Alexei told him.

"There's nothing to discuss. This has nothing to do with illusions. Right here, right now, I'll dispose of the real you and put an end to this." Laxus replied, shedding his coat.

The remaining four members of Raven Tail's team, stepped into sight then, joining Alexei on the field. Laxus wasn't fazed in the least and a glance at Rette, showed she was watching carefully. If she thought, for a second, that he couldn't handle it, she would alert the others. Laxus was sure of it. Rette wouldn't let harm come to any member of Fairy Tail if she could help it.

"Even you wouldn't be able to simultaneously defeat all of Raven Tail's elite." Alexei said. "And one more thing..."

Alexei reached up, removing the mask he had been wearing the whole time. He revealed himself to really be Ivan, Laxus' father. Laxus wasn't really surprised. He expected this kind of dirty playing from his father.

"You should know of my strength, right? **Stupid son**." Ivan said.

"I figured it would be like that. **Shitty Pops**." Laxus replied.

That was one hell of a way for him to greet his father. While Rette had her own share of daddy issues, she had never greeted him as such. Then again, the last time she had seen him, she had been five and hadn't really cursed. Inwardly, Rette was cheering Laxus on.

"Makarov would die before he opened his mouth. But you're different. Let's have you tell us, shall we? The location of Lumen Histoire." Ivan said.

Lumen Histoire?

What was that?

Rette had been all through the archives in Fairy Tail and she had never heard a mention of something like that. She had read every book marking out the history of Fairy Tail and had never found a single mention of whatever it was.

"What are you talking about?" Laxus asked.

"You don't have to pretend...Makarov must have told you." Ivan insisted.

"I really don't know." Laxus replied.

"No, you must know."

Whatever this Lumen Histoire was, it seemed to be awfully important to Ivan and he seemed to insist that Laxus knew where it was.

"Well, even if I did, I wouldn't tell you." Laxus assured his father.

 _That a boy, Laxus_ , Rette thought.

"Besides...Rette's a real hardass about the whole loyalty thing. She'd kill me if I even so much as thought about telling you." Laxus added.

Boy, did he have that right. Kill was an understatement. Rette would skin him and hanging him by his toes if he tried to turn on Fairy Tail...again. She didn't stand for the whole breaking loyalty thing and since he had already done it once and she had forgiven him, he doubted she would let him get away with it a second time.

"Oi oi...you're saying that you'd pass on a "victory", even under these hopeless circumstances? And for the opinion of a stupid, little girl?" Ivan asked.

Laxus would have loved to watch his father say that to Rette's face. Master of another guild or not, Rette would have slugged him right then and there and would have introduced him to the heel of her boot once he was laying on the ground.

Rette, though, thought that Ivan obviously didn't know his own son.

And he obviously didn't know what the word "manners" meant.

"If you don't accept the conditions, then...just having your illusion lose wouldn't be enough." Ivan added.

Oh, he really didn't know his own son. Rette, who had only known Laxus for a short time, even knew that Laxus would never bow to another like that. He had learned the hard way that a person didn't turn on their family.

"You always did things in such a roundabout manner...and I know all about how gramps cut you out. Bring it, all of you at once. If there's one thing that Rette's made a point of drilling into my head, it's that Master's enemies are my enemies." Laxus said, challenging his father.

Rette almost smiled to herself. So she had been able to drill that lesson into his thick skull, after all. And here she had wondered if she had ever managed to get past the first layer of concrete.

"It seems you need to be taught a lesson about the strength of Raven Tail, the specialized anti-Fairy Tail guild." Ivan told him.

Laxus raised an eyebrow in questioning.

"A specialized anti-Fairy Tail guild?" he repeated.

"We've gathered members and mastered techniques to match all of Fairy Tail's weaknesses." Ivan told him.

"Amongst those, we are the elite four." Kurohebi said.

"Do you mean to go to war with us? I am well aware of your weaknesses. Especially a newly acquired weakness of your's." Ivan said, turning his eyes towards Rette.

Laxus got that threat, loud and clear. Ivan was basically threatening to go after Rette simply because he knew Laxus had a thing for her. It really pissed Laxus off. More than he had thought it would. He would murder anyone who threatened Rette. Whether she could protect herself or not.

"Shall we release the power that our guild has been accumulating these past seven years?" Ivan asked.

Go to war, huh? What was it that Rette had once said to him? That was right...Rette had once said that if someone wanted to bring a battle to Fairy Tail, she would give them a war. This qualified for that, didn't it? But Laxus was getting ahead of himself.

"Gramps has thoroughly investigated you. Your guild numbers, activities, funds. We know everything that has gone on these past seven years." Laxus told his father, shocking Ivan.

"It was Gajeel! He tricked us!" Flare exclaimed.

"So he was a double agent." Ivan said.

"Even though Gramps knew that much, he didn't make a move on you. Gramps...probably believed in you somewhere in the depths of his heart. Because you're father and son." Laxus remarked.

"Silence!" Ivan snapped, attacking Laxus with thousands of his little paper dolls.

Laxus blocked the attack with one arm. To Rette, the little dolls made her think of voodoo. While normal paper dolls couldn't cause a lot of damage, these were enfused with magic. Trying to vend off the thousands, upon thousands of dolls could be quite the task.

"I've lived in the shadows all for this day! All to obtain Lumen Histoire! You thought I didn't want to hurt you these past seven years!? I didn't because there's no way an expelled member like you would know anything about Lumen Histoire!" Ivan yelled, his attack hitting one of Laxus' arms hard.

Several of the paper dolls cut at Laxus' face, drawing blood. And Ivan was only increasing the power, forcing his son back.

"The guild, the city, Tenrou Island, every place related to the guild...I've searched them all! Even so I couldn't find it! Where is Lumen Histoire!? Where is it!? Tell me! Laxus! Aren't you my son!? Obra! Do it! Take away his magic power! Now is the time to release our anti-Fairy Tail magic power!" Ivan ordered.

"He's the one who did Wendy and Carla in, huh?" Laxus mused.

With a burst of speed, gifted to him by his lightning magic, Laxus broke free of his father's attack and attacked the strange mage to Ivan's right that they called Obra. Nullpudding and Flare attacked him when he took Obra down. Laxus dodged Flare's attacks and easily side stepped Nullpudding.

"This is for Gray." Laxus announced before slamming Nullpudding hard into the ground.

He turned to Flare next, as she tried to attack him while his back was turned. Her hair wrapped around one of his biceps, attempting to hold him in place.

"This is for Lucy!" Laxus snapped, taking Flare down too.

Kurohebi appeared out of the sand beneath Laxus' feet, but before he could so much as touch Laxus, the charm around Laxus' neck, which had come free of his shirt during the fight, glowed brightly before a mix of green and yellow lightning broke free of the charm and zapped Kurohebi, stunning him long enough for Laxus to send him flying. Laxus' eyes turned to the stand briefly, locating Rette, who was still fiddling with something around her neck. Laxus had a feeling that little zapping trick was her doing. After all...she had been the one to give him the charm. With the four other members of Raven Tail down and out, Laxus turned to his father, his glare sharp.

"O-our elite troops!" Ivan gasped.

"I ain't got a clue what your goal is, but I'll hold you responsible for hurting my friends! And for threatening Rette!" Laxus told him.

"W-wait! I'm your father! We're family! Are you going to hit your father!?" Ivan asked, obviously scared.

"My family is Fairy Tail! I will crush my family's enemies!" Laxus declared before taking out his father.

With Ivan out, the illusion he had cast was shattered, revealing the downed members of Raven Tail. Shock traveled through the crowd when it was revealed what had been happening under the guise of the illusion. The illusions of Ivan in the crowd and the Raven Tail team on their balcony, vanished as well. Makarov suddenly understood why it felt like an echo of magic to Rette.

"The fight earlier was an illusion!? The one standing is Laxus! Game over! In a place where we could not see, he was under attack by five people... the master also participated...no matter how you look at it, it's foul play!" the announcer called.

Knights came down to the arena to cart Ivan and his followers away and the guild was disqualified and their participation for the next three years, revoked. Laxus looked up at the balcony where his team stood. Rette was leaning on the rail, staring down at him. The rest of their team cheered for him, Mira doing a little jump. Rette met his eyes before she turned and vanished. Laxus continued into hallways that would lead him back to the balcony. He found Rette waiting for him. She jerked her head to the side, silently insisting he follow her.

Laxus followed her to a small medical office. Since Laxus wasn't horribly injured, there was no point in taking him to Porlyusica in the medical bay where Elfman currently was. Rette closed the door behind them and instantly pointed to a stool, silently demanding that he sit. He could have argued with her, but he didn't. He sat down on the stool while she fetched a medical kit. The first injuries she saw to were on his arm.

"So that good luck charm was really a defensive spell?" he demanded.

"I'm surprised you didn't figure that out the moment it was in your grip. If I give you anything, it's not going to be for fashion purposes." Rette replied, bandaging the wounds on his arm.

"So you gave that to me, knowing something would happen." Laxus stated.

"I have a couple of those made though the one you're wearing is special since it's one of the pair that I made with my magic mixed in and I'm wearing the other one. When I saw that your opponent was going to be from your father's guild, I figured something would happen. And I was right to think so since it turned out to be your father, himself. It was just meant to give you a bit of an edge if something happened. Not that you really needed it. Keep wearing it and the power inside will restore, allowing it to be used again." Rette told him.

"You knew that was an illusion from the very start, didn't you?" Laxus asked her.

"Not from the very start, no, but I knew something was up." Rette said.

"And you said nothing?" Laxus asked.

"Had I, they would have put a stop to your match. Besides, I figured it would take someone far stronger than that to take you down. It pays to be able to sense magic like I do. Or have you forgotten that I fought you once? I know, up close and painful detail, the force of your power." Rette replied.

Done with his arm, Rette moved to the cuts on his face. She angled his face up so she could clean the cuts. Laxus didn't mind, because he had an excuse to stare at her face.

"You know...you're lucky you took more after your grandfather than your father. Your father is not exactly a good looking man. Though all three of you have the same stare." Rette teased.

Laxus frowned at the tease. He wasn't exactly pleased to be told how he looked like his father and grandfather and he didn't need her to tell him.

"Oh yeah? And what about you and your father?" Laxus retorted before he could think.

Rette jolted, her eyes going wide for a moment. Her hands froze in what they were doing. Laxus inwardly cursed himself. He had heard from Mira and Erza about Rette's serious issues with her father, about his abuse of her that was so bad that she still had nightmares about it. He had never mentioned her father simply because of that. He knew he shouldn't have now. Reminding Rette of her father was a bad thing to do. But Rette's expression relaxed and she heaved a sigh.

"In terms of physical appearance...my eyes." Rette replied.

He hadn't expected her to actually answer.

"My eyes are the only physical trait I have from him. I was extraordinarily lucky to take after my mother. Or so he told me. I never so much as saw a picture of her." Rette said.

So she had her father's eyes. It made so much sense. It explained why the mirror of Rette's vanity had been covered when he had snuck into her house to get her charm bracelet. And it also explained way he only ever saw her briefly glance at a mirror. If Rette ever spent more than a few brief moments in front of a mirror, she took great pains to avoid looking at her face.

Laxus' gaze shifted to her eyes then. He liked her eyes. The color was unusual and beautiful and odd. Everything she was. And when her emotions raged high, they flared to life like flames and glittered like jewels.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

Rette's demand snapped Laxus out of his thoughts. She had one eyebrow raised in questioning.

"I like your eyes." he told her bluntly.

"Of course you do. I'll repeat the question I asked the first time you asked me out...did you hit your head?" Rette asked.

"You always ask that." he retorted.

"And you've yet to give me a reason to think it's anything different."

Laxus frowned. He had realized a while back that Rette was a trial. The girl had been so sheltered from relationships with others that she couldn't tell when a guy had an honest interest in her. But that didn't mean he was going to give up. The more he found out about Rette, the more sides of her he saw...the more he liked her.

"So...you'll crush your "family's" enemies?" Rette asked, raising an eyebrow.

Laxus groaned, one eye twitching. She had heard his conversation with his father!? Gods, he would never hear the end of it!

"You heard!?" he asked.

Rette poked the charm still hanging around his neck, drawing his attention down to it.

"Because of this having my magic in it, and me having the paired one, it was like a microphone for me. I could hear every word between the two of you. Such a brave knight you are, getting angry because he threatened me. Am I really your weakness, Laxus?" Rette asked.

Despite her tone and expression not changing, he knew she was teasing him. It was fun when he did it to her, but he didn't like it when she did it to him. He clicked his tongue at her and turned his face away from her despite her not being done with his cuts. He could have sworn he heard a small laugh from her. And then, to his shock, he felt her lips press to his cheek. He turned his eyes on her when she pulled back.

"Consider that a reward for sticking up for your family." she told him.

"What do I have to do to get one on the mouth?" he asked.

"Don't press your luck." she replied, flicking his nose.

It didn't hurt to try, right? One of these days, he would figure out how to get her to agree to go out with him. Maybe then she would see he wasn't that bad of a guy.

As soon as Rette was finished bandaging him, they returned to their team just as the next match was starting.

"Fairy Tail A's Wendy Marvell verses Lamia Scale's Chelia Brendi."

Rette turned her eyes down to the arena as Wendy stepped out to face her opponent. Chelia hurried out to meet her and managed to trip over nothing. Concerned that she might have hurt herself, Wendy hurried to check on her and ended up doing the same thing.

"Those two look like they were cut from the same cloth." Rette remarked.

"Perhaps so." Mira agreed.

People in the crowd cheered at how "cute" the match up was. Rette was about to agree, that the two were cute, but stopped when a strange and dark feeling magical power suddenly appeared on her magical radar. Rette scanned the crowd, trying to pin down where the magic was coming from. It felt so much like Zeref's magic, but there was something else mixed in. Something similar to Lucy's celestial magic. The match started, Wendy starting off by enchanting herself with boost of power and attacking, but Rette was focused more on trying to locate the source of the magic.

Without Rette focusing on the match, it continued, Chelia revealing she was a sky God Slayer. The two attacked and defended, wind whipping up as they bent the skies to their wills. One second, it looked like Wendy had the upper hand and the next, it looked like Chelia had the upper hand. Even when Wendy's Roar and Chelia's Howl collided, sending a shock wave of wind throughout the stadium, Rette didn't pay attention. She knew the moment Jellal came into the stadium, probably chasing the same magic that Rette felt.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Arts!"

Hearing Wendy's little voice yell those words, Rette's eyes turned, locating Wendy. She hadn't realized that Wendy had already learned one of the secret techniques that her dragon had left for her. The attack, on anyone else, would have flattened her opponent in a moment. But since Wendy's element was the same as Chelia's and Chelia's magic gifted her with the ability to heal herself, Chelia got right back up. Rette had a feeling that if Chelia didn't put Wendy down or run out of magical power, then the match would run out of time. She highly doubted that Wendy would let herself stay down or that Wendy could take Chelia down with her ability to restore herself.

The two had a lot of heart and an even more fierce will. Neither were going to give to the other. Not with their guilds counting on them. It made Rette proud to call Wendy her teammate. While Rette was proud, she knew she had to focus. She was torn, though, between searching the crowd and watching the match. She wanted so badly to watch Wendy fight her hardest, knowing Wendy had trained so hard to get to this point.

Rette was impressed and even more proud when, to protect herself from Chelia's God Slayer Secret Arts, Wendy took away Chelia's fatigue, causing Chelia to over shoot with her magic and miss Wendy with her attack. The two met each other, blow for blow, putting all they had into the fight. In the end, Rette had been right. The two ran out their time, neither falling to the other. Though the match ended in a draw, they had gained the respect of most of the people in the stadium.

More importantly, they gained the friendship of each other.

Chelia, with what magic power she had left, healed herself and relieved Wendy of her most of her injuries. Wendy would be perfectly fine to continue participating thanks to Chelia. But Rette had been unable to locate the person who was letting off the magical energy. Heaving a sigh, Rette knew she would just have to give up for now. She turned and followed her team from their balcony.

She had other things to think about.

-0-0-0-0-

"Look out, Rette!"

And **this** was why she had insisted on not coming to the pub at the same time as her guild mates.

Rette jumped out of the way as Natsu, laying on the menu board, went surfing across barrels laid on their sides. Max caught Rette before she could hit the floor and the two turned to watch as Natsu crashed right into Gajeel and Wendy.

"Natsu, for crying out loud, you're going to hurt someone." Rette called, thanking Max for his help.

"Alright! My turn!"

Rette turned as, taking up the mantle, Gray went next. Rette heaved a sigh. There was no stopping them now. Just like Natsu, Gray crashed, but somehow, someway, along the way, Gray lost all of his clothes except his underwear. Rette could only slap a hand to her face when Erza joined in.

"Erza, you're in a skirt! You shouldn't be doing that." Rette called out to her.

But Rette was ignored. Rette wasn't really all to concerned with Erza pulling an injury. Wendy and Porlyusica had healed her up well and it was Erza after all. Rette was more concerned with everyone getting an eye full of Erza's underwear when she finally crashed. When everyone simply laughed at the ridiculousness of it all, Rette just shrugged her shoulders. They were happy and having fun. Who was she to take that away from them.

Rette joined Wendy, Levy, and Lucy. Erza soon joined them and the conversation turned to something that even caught Rette's attention.

"A swimming pool?" Erza asked.

"Is it close?" Lucy asked, all of them turning to Levy.

"It's Ryuuzetsu Land, one of the leading summer leisure spots of Fiore." Levy told them.

"We gotta go!" Natsu pipped in.

Gray and Happy agreed. Even Rette didn't see a problem with it. Soon, everyone was keyed in on the idea.

"But shouldn't we inform the master first?" Lucy asked.

"He was dragged out somewhere by Laxus." Erza replied.

"I'll find them and let them know. Thyme, you can go on ahead." Rette piped in.

Thyme saluted Rette. Rette agreed to meet everyone at the water park with Laxus and Makarov, and headed out to find them. As she walked through the city, it actually gave Rette a chance to think. She found herself pondering over what she had over heard between Laxus and Ivan. This Lumen Histoire...could it be the massive power she had sensed beneath Fairy Tail from the very first time she had stepped into their old guild hall?

"You look like you have a lot on your mind."

A voice suddenly speaking, made Rette look up in surprise. She was confronted with the youthful face of a floating Mavis, smiling back at her. Rette blinked for a moment, but her expression didn't change. If it hadn't been for the brief flash of surprise in Rette's eyes, Mavis would have thought Rette unfazed.

"Oh, Master Mavis. I'm sorry, I didn't sense you approaching." Rette remarked.

"That's odd. You always do." Mavis said.

In the last few days, they had realized that even though Mavis was a spirit, Rette could sense her just as she could sense any magic. She always knew when Mavis was near, whether they could see Mavis or not.

"Yes, well...as you said, I have a lot on my mind. But now that you're here, I have a question for you." Rette said.

Mavis' head tilted to the side. Rette didn't normally converse with Mavis. She acknowledged that the first master was there, listened whenever she spoke, and even answered questions asked to everyone in general but she didn't normally talk directly to Mavis. Mavis had started to believe that it was either that Rette didn't want to appear crazy, talking to someone others without the Fairy Tail emblem couldn't see, or that she was shy.

Mavis had a feeling it wasn't really the latter.

"What is it?" Mavis asked, floating over to drift at Rette's side as she walked.

"What is Lumen Histoire?"

Mavis turned her face towards Rette in surprise. Rette could tell that Mavis was relunctant to answer the question. It had to be a big secret then.

"Does it have anything to do with the large power far under our old guild hall?" Rette asked.

"How do you know about that?" Mavis asked.

"I could sense it from the very first time I stepped foot in Fairy Tail. That's the result of being able to sense magic like I can, but I had a feeling I shouldn't know about it since no one else seemed to and I couldn't find any mention of it in the guild archives, so I never said anything. I begun to really question it, though, when I realized...it feels a little like you. Magically speaking." Rette said, looking at Mavis.

Mavis stared at her, meeting her gaze. Rette, it seemed, was a clever girl. She had managed to connect two and two and her magical senses appeared to be stronger than Mavis gave them credit for. If left to her own devices, Mavis had a feeling that Rette really could figure out the truth for herself. Seeing the serious look on Mavis' face, Rette wondered if she was going to get in big trouble for knowing what she knew.

"Don't get the wrong idea, First Master. I won't say anything to anyone. Fairy Tail is my guild, my home...I would never do anything to harm it or it's members. Past or present." Rette told her.

"I don't doubt that, Rette, but this is something only those who become master are suppose to know." Mavis told her.

"I see...it's not exactly something I can control sensing. If it's something I shouldn't know, I won't pry." Rette told her.

Rette faced forward, falling silent as they walked. Mavis watched her out of the side of her eyes. Rette understood that while she couldn't help knowing what she already knew, it was best she didn't pry too deeply into the matter. But, what surprised Mavis, was just how much Rette was able to figure out and piece together by herself. Suddenly, Rette turned her face towards Mavis again.

"Master Mavis, would you like to come to a water park with me?" Rette asked.

"A water park?" Mavis repeated.

"Yes. The others are going to one and I've been sent to find Master Makarov and Laxus, to invite them too. Would you like to come?" Rette asked.

Mavis' eyes lit up and filled up with tears. That Rette had even considered inviting her, touched her. Most people wouldn't think about inviting a spirit to a water park. She agreed and the two went in search of Makarov and Laxus. Across the town, sitting in a garden courtyard, Laxus was speaking with his grandfather.

"Gramps...what's Lumen Histoire?" Laxus asked, not knowing that he was having the same conversation with his grandfather that Rette had just had with Mavis.

"You heard from Ivan?" Makarov asked.

"It seems like he wanted it pretty badly." Laxus answered.

"Good grief...that brat..." Makarov muttered.

"He called it Fairy Tail's darkness or something like that." Laxus added, looking down at his grandfather.

Makarov didn't reply, just stared off into space.

"It is not darkness."

Laxus and Makarov looked up in surprise when a voice sounded. On the stairs leading up to where they sat, they found Rette with Mavis floating at her side.

"Lumen Histoire. It is our guild's "light"." Mavis added.

"First, you shouldn't..."

"I know. This is something only those who become the master of the guild can know. Do you understand, Laxus?" Mavis said, turning to look at Laxus.

"If it's not something weird then I won't dig into it." Laxus replied.

"I don't know about weird..." Rette remarked, looking at Mavis.

Mavis met her eyes and raised a finger to her lips. Makarov and Laxus looked between the two, Makarov worried.

"First, you didn't tell her, did you!?" Makarov asked.

"Rette has, for the most part, figured it out on her own." Mavis replied.

Makarov turned his eyes to Rette then, questioning in their depth. Rette shrugged her shoulders, as if it was no big deal.

"Heightened magical senses. I pretty much knew somewhat about it from the first time I stepped foot in Fairy Tail. I've had seven years since then to piece things together by myself." Rette told him.

Makarov slapped a hand to his face. He had wondered if she had sensed it from the first time he learned about her heightened senses, but Rette never mentioned anything, never asked questions, so he had assumed she hadn't noticed it or had just written off as being part of the everyday magic in the guild. It seemed, she had just caught on that it wasn't something to speak about.

"The question here is...how did your son get the information, Master?" Rette asked.

"Most likely from Precht." Mavis remarked.

"The second master?" Rette asked.

"Hmm...that's very well possible." Makarov mused.

"I never thought that Precht would have fallen into darkness...my foolish judgment for selecting him caused this information to leak." Mavis said, looking dejected.

"Not at all, First. It's not your fault." Makarov assured her.

"It's my fault. I...I shouldn't be crying...I'm not crying..." Mavis said, turning away from them as tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over.

Makarov and Laxus freaked out, unsure on how to comfort a crying woman, let along a crying spirit.

"Laxus! Comfort her! Hurry!" Makarov yelled.

"This is too big of a hurdle!" Laxus replied.

Rette heaved a sigh, slapping one hand to her face. There was, yet another thing that Laxus and Makarov had in common. The inability to comfort a crying woman.

"You two are useless." Rette muttered, stepping up to Mavis' side. "Come on, now, First Master. We're going to the water park, remember? Can't you stop crying for that?"

The moment Rette mentioned the water park, Mavis perked up. She gave a cheer and flew off ahead, leaving them behind. Laxus and Makarov looked at Rette in surprise.

"You handle that so easily." Laxus remarked.

"Women are surprisingly easy to understand if you're willing to pay close attention." Rette said, glancing over her shoulder at them. "Men are just normally too dense to notice."

With that, Rette turned and followed Mavis, arms crossed over her stomach. Looking at each other, Laxus and Makarov followed.

At least she had gotten Mavis to stop crying.

-0-0-0-0-

"Here we are!"

Lucy with Wendy, Erza, Mira, and Lisanna at her side, looked around the theme park. There were water rides of all kinds, and people all over the place. Despite being bandaged in water proof bandages, Erza was ready for fun in the water. Natsu was already in the water, riding a little mini train that cut through the water. Of course, he ended up sick for his troubles. Happy lead the exceeds to the aquarium, Lily and Thyme sharing a kiwi juice with two straws. Cana, who had forgotten her swimsuit, pranced around in her underwear.

Juvia tried to drag Gray onto the Love Slide where couples went down while hugging each other. Gray instantly denied her only for Lyon to show up, scoop her up in his arms, and offer to go with her instead. Behind him came Chelia, who greeted Wendy with a big wave. With several other guilds and their members showing up, mischief and pranks begun. Starting with Jenny sneaking up on Mira to snatch her top off. In return, Mira yanked down Jenny's bottoms.

Erza and Lucy found themselves as the center spot light of the Blue Pegasus boys as they tried to lounge on chairs. Erza ended up scolding Hibiki, Ren, and Eve, and when it came to Ichiya, she simply turned to leave. It was about that time that Lucy spotted Mavis in the nearby pool.

"What are you doing?" Lucy asked.

"I invited her."

Lucy turned as Rette joined them. Rette was dressed in a halter styled, black to blue fade bikini with a black bow tied between the breast and low slung bottoms with a bow at each hip.

"I came across her when I was looking for Master and Laxus." Rette added.

"We're letting her play." Makarov said from where he sat a few feet from Laxus.

Laxus, looking bored and even a little annoyed, sat at the edge of the pool, his legs in the water. His eyes were focused on the only interesting thing he could find around him...Rette.

"It's a little...awkward, don't you think?" Lucy asked Rette.

"Not as awkward as that." Rette said pointing.

Lucy followed Rette's gesture to where Erza stood talking to Jellal who, despite being in the water, was still wearing his mask and hat. With how much he stood out, Lucy could see what Rette meant. Lucy invited Rette to join her in the water, but Rette declined. She was more than happy to watch everyone from a lounge chair. She sat down on a chair and watched her guild mates as they splashed, had fun, and conversed with members of other guilds. She even watched as Mavis, using a kick board, swam from one end of the pool to the other.

It was nice to see them all have fun. After a while, Rette leaned back, closing her eyes to enjoy the artifical sunlight that shined from the ceiling above. When she felt her lounge chair dip a little, she opened her eyes. She found Laxus sitting on the foot of her chair.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"You really just going to sit there?" he asked.

"It's one of the rare chances I get to just relax, so...yeah, I am." Rette replied.

She pulled her legs up some, bending her knees so to make room for Laxus on the chair. Laxus shifted, gratefully taking the offered space. It was then that something caught his attention. Laxus' eyes fell to Rette's feet. Ringing her right ankle, was a thick scar that looked like someone had shackled that ankle several times. Reaching out, Laxus took her right foot into his hand, pulling her ankle close to look at the scar.

Rette didn't say anything, just watched him as his fingers brushed over the scar. Since she normally wore boots all the time, most people never saw the scar. Even when she wasn't wearing boots, most people never really noticed the scar. If they did, they didn't say anything. Laxus' eyes came up to hers, flashing.

"Do I want to know if this was caused by your old man?" he asked.

Rette's eyes darting away from his, was answer enough. Laxus sat her leg down in his lap, feeling a flash of anger through him. What kind of father shackled his daughter?

"I was a very disobedient child and he wasn't exactly Father of the Year, you know." Rette replied.

That was no reason to hurt his own child. Laxus wasn't the best son in the world either, but his father had never done something like that to him. Then again, Makarov had been there to stand between him and Ivan. Rette hadn't had anyone there on her side. But if her father had caused the scar around her ankle...Laxus' eyes went to the scar on her stomach.

"Did he cause that one too?" Laxus asked, nearly growling.

"You know, you sound like a dog, growling like that." Rette said in reply.

Laxus gave her a sharp look but Rette didn't seem inclined to give him an answer. It could mean that he was right and it had been the result of her father's handiwork, but it could also mean that Rette didn't want to say no and then have him demand to know exactly what had caused the scar. She wasn't giving hints as to which it was.

"Are you done with my leg?" Rette asked, raising an eyebrow.

"If I say no?" Laxus asked, clamping a hand over her ankle to keep her leg in place.

He watched as her eyebrow and one corner of her mouth twitched. She was fighting the urge to smile. Instead of smiling or answering, she decided to test his grip on her ankle. When she couldn't budge her leg, she crossed her arms over her stomach.

"Alright, what will it take to get you to release my leg?" she asked.

A grin curled Laxus' lips and he leaned closer to her, still gripping her leg. Rette had a feeling she knew what it was going to take. With a wicked grin, Laxus pointed to his mouth. Just as she thought. He wouldn't let go of her leg until she gave him a kiss. Just what was it with this man and kissing?

"Let me guess...you want me to slug you one? I can do that." Rette said sarcastically.

"If that's what you call a kiss, then go right ahead." he retorted.

Alright, so he had gotten better at throwing her snark and sass back at her. Rette still didn't see the appeal in kissing, didn't understand why he wanted a kiss from her so badly, but, just this once, she was willing to play along. If only to get him to let go of her leg.

"Fine." Rette agreed.

She shifted forward, leaning towards him, his grin growing slightly as she did. Just then, Ichiya slipped and slid right into Natsu, sending the both of them flying. Rette stopped, her eyes turning towards the two, Laxus following her gaze. The two watched as trouble unfolded. First, Ichiya flew towards Jellal and Erza. To save Erza, Jellal jumped at her to knock her out of the way. Instead, he ended up groping her, to the embarrassment of both of them.

Next, Natsu flew into Gray and Lyon who were standing at the top of the Love Slide, which Juvia was trying to convince Gray to ride with her. Natsu knocked them down the slide, sending the two plummeting down the slide, gripping each other as they zipped down the slide. Rette was sure that Juvia was thinking that the two had gone down together on purpose and that it was boy love. Juvia had an over active imagination, so Rette didn't put it past her to think that.

But, getting angry with each other, Gray and Lyon froze the water in the slide, the ice spreading to the pool below. Rette was really happy she had declined getting into the water. Natsu, in anger, to unfreeze the pool, let loose one of his fireballs. Laxus was on his feet quickly, snatching Rette up off her chair as well. He moved them both out of harm's way as Natsu destroyed part of the building. Rette and Laxus escaped the damage, the two looking over the damage.

Rette, letting out a low whistle, looked around. Natsu was the only one that had managed to remain standing aside from her and Laxus. Somehow, Hibiki, Ren, and Eve had all ended up without their swimsuits, Gray and Lyon were frozen in a block of ice together on top of Juvia, Max had ended up with a broom up his butt...again, Erza ended up sitting on Jellal's face, Lucy ended up without her top, and the only one to escape damage aside from Rette and Laxus, was Makarov. Laxus gave Natsu a solid knock over the head for his idiocy and Rette heaved a sigh.

"Wh-who are those people!?" one worker asked from where he was peeking out of his hiding place behind Rette.

Rette, who was standing with both hands on her hips, heaved another sigh.

"That would be my guild." Rette remarked.

"I'm so sorry." the man told her.

"Yeah...everyone says that." Rette replied.

If it wasn't one thing, it was another. But, then again, that was just how it was in her guild. Knowing that she should go help, Rette ran a hand through her hair. Whether it was fighting together or partying together, Fairy Tail lived everyday like it could be the last. Every day was do or die in Fairy Tail and usually, they did.

Gathering up their members, Rette and her guild mates returned to their lodgings. Several of their members now needed bandaging. Rette wasn't surprised after getting tossed around as they had. Rette made rounds, making sure everyone was accounted for and helped a drunk Cana into bed. When she headed down the hall for her room after checking in on Natsu, she found Makarov waiting in the hall.

"Master." Rette greeted.

Makarov looked up at Rette and she wondered, for a moment, if she was in trouble for something. She couldn't think of anything she had done to cause her to be in trouble. Rette looked down at Makarov, raising an eyebrow in questioning. What could she have done. Makarov met her eyes sternly.

"About Lumen Histoire..." he started.

Rette cut him off by shaking her head. She had a pretty good idea on what he was about to say and there was no need for him to say it.

"Don't worry, Master. I would never do anything to harm the guild or it's members. My lips, as they have been this whole time, are sealed." Rette assured him.

Makarov smiled slightly and nodded. If there was one thing above all else that was Rette, it was protective. She would fight for her guild to the bitter end and would never say or do anything to endanger them. He knew the secret would be safe with her.

"If that is all, Master. I'm going to go to bed." Rette told him.

Makarov nodded, watching as Rette headed off down the hall for her room. The reason he had put her with team B was because he knew she would fight hard for the guild. She wouldn't give up until either she won or could no longer fight.

Makarov knew that that was just who Rette was.

END

Kyandi: And there we go!

Rette: Kyandi-sama is happy because this was the last update she had to post at the moment.

Kyandi: Yep! It took me so long to make all of these updates too.

Rette: I can imagine.

Kyandi: And now I'm tired and need to rest my brain and imagination for a day before I jump into more chapters.

Rette: A one day vacation?

Kyandi: It's a daycation!

Rette: Yeah, sure...we'll go with that.

Kyandi: Anyway, everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll be back after her daycation.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	16. Day Four

Kyandi: Hello everyone! We're back.

Rette: After being derailed for four days by her Queen of Distractions.

Kyandi: A.k.a...my little sister. She has a knack for completely derailing my train of thought for a good three hours at a time.

Rette: Kyandi-sama finally had to turn off her phone and lock her door tight.

Kyandi: But then came the emails.

Rette: Yeah...you'll never completely get away from her.

Kyandi: I know...but I can dwell on that some other time. For now, everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 16 Day Four

Day Four, contest portion, found the members of each team faced with a contest simply titled, Naval Battle. The first thing that came to mind was some kind of strategy game with ships. The second thing was some kind of water sport. With the latter, Rette was sure that Juvia would be well suited. The boys...not so much. But also for the latter...Gajeel, Laxus, and Rette could be in trouble if it involved a ship or vehicle of any kind. As for the former...Rette was sure the majority of her team could handle it.

For Team B, Juvia stepped forward. Whatever it was, as long as it involved water, Juvia would be in her element. For Team A, it was Lucy who had the use of the perfect spirit when it came to water. Rette felt a sense of relief when they revealed what the game was. A large, floating sphere of water was set up in the center of the field. The rules were simple. Each player would enter the water. They had all been assure that they would be able to breathe in the water.

Should they leave the water, that player lost. The remaining person was the victor. But then the rules got a little more complex. In the event that there were only two participants left, a special rule would take effect. The five minute rule. If, within five minutes, one of the two remaining players left the sphere, that person would fall all the way to last place and would earn their team zero points.

All players were allowed a moment to change, Juvia joining the others after changing into a bikini. She dived into water along side Chelia, Jenny, Risley, Lucy, Rocker from Quatro Cerberus, and, the one that caught Rette's attention...Minerva. Cheers from the crowd for Minerva almost drowned out the announcers. Though Rette was on Team B with Juvia, inwardly she was cheering for Lucy.

Perhaps she was a little bias.

A quick glance around at the other participants and Rette was sure that the ones that would give Lucy trouble would be Juvia and Minerva. She didn't really feel any danger with the others.

"Lucy, do your best!" came Natsu's loud yell from their balcony.

Rette tuned out Natsu and focused. Given what the goal of the game was, Rette had a feeling that Lucy would do just fine. Juvia too, for that matter. Both had a sort of advantage in the water. With a resounding ring of the gong, the game started.

Lucy started off things, summoning Aquarius to the playing field. As she always did when she found others playing in what she deemed her playground, Aquarius let loose, Lucy having to hold onto her tail to keep from being swept away as well. Juvia, locking in on Aquarius and Lucy as her greatest threat, and with good reason, turned on the two instantly, letting loose a water cyclone to counter Aquarius.

The two were evenly matched, both cancelling out the other's attack. Rette was sure Lucy would have her hands full with Juvia, but it wasn't impossible for her to win. Jenny took the moment to single out the only male in the water, sending Rocker rocketing out of the water with a kick to the cheek. Chelia followed suit and attacked Risley. A simple shift in her gravity and Risley dodged easily.

"This isn't going to end well, so I'm going to return now." Aquarius told Lucy.

"Eh!? Why!? You're the best in water, I have to depend on you!" Lucy replied.

Aquarius gave her a smug smile, declaring she had a date before vanishing back to the celestial realm. Juvia was relentless and took the chance to attack Lucy again. Lucy summoned Virgo and Aries to save her from falling out of the water. Both appeared in bikinies, just barely saving her. It was still a close call, Lucy coming within a few inches of falling out. To try to get a leg up on the others, Juvia decided that now was the best time to show how much she had grown in power.

By accessing her Second Origin, she used a spell she called Wings of Love, to turn the whole sphere into a cyclone, trying to push out everyone else. Lucy barely saved herself with the help of Aries and Virgo. Jenny, Risley, and Chelia weren't so lucky. They were thrown from the water one after the other. Minerva used her magic to simply divert the attack. Lucy rode out the waves thrown up by the attack. Juvia, feeling proud of herself for throwing out three opponents, turned to look towards Gray, hoping for approval of her increase in power and victory over three opponents.

Gray's look of disgusted completely shocked her and left her oblivious to Minerva shoving her out of the water with her magic.

"That idiot!" Gajeel snapped.

Rette heaved a sigh as Mira questioned what happened.

"It's Minerva's magic. She basically shoved Juvia out of the water. She should have been paying more attention to her opponent and less attention to Gray." Rette remarked.

Despite that being true, Juvia had gained third place, giving their team six points to add to the score board. Rette, though, really didn't like the idea of Lucy being left alone in the water with Minvera. She had gone up against Minerva before and knew just how cruel and underhanded the woman could be when she wanted her way. Just thinking of what Minerva had done to Laki, made Rette's anger start to rear it's ugly head. Rette felt her stomach turn when Minerva turned towards Lucy, a smug smile on her face.

"The only two left are Minerva and Lucy! Now...who will be the victor? Sabertooth? Or Fairy Tail? We have applied the five minute rule. During these five minutes, if one of them falls out of the water, they will gain the least amount of points from this event." Chapati announced.

Minerva turned a grin on Lucy, who thought she was prepared for anything Minerva could throw at her. Rette should have warned her, some how, some way.

"With my magical power, I could throw you out of the water in a flash, however...that wouldn't be very satisfying. Let's see how long you last." Minerva remarked.

Rette tensed, her teeth gnashing together when Minerva used her magic to attack Lucy with heat. The attacks, Rette knew from experience, hit hard like lead. Lucy reached back, to grab a key to summon a spirit, only to find that her belt, with her keys attached, was gone.

"What!? My keys are..."

Lucy's eyes swung to Minerva as she held up Lucy's belt, her keys hanging from their key ring. Lucy couldn't help but wonder when Minerva had managed to snag the keys. She hadn't seen her do it, nor had she felt her remove the belt. With Lucy now disarmed and unable to attack, Minerva hit her hard, sending her rocketing to the edge of the water.

"Lucy! At this rate you're going to fall out of the water and drop to last place!" Natsu yelled.

Lucy started wind-milling her arms to slow herself. She managed to stop herself just short of going out of the water. Despite not being able to fight back, Lucy took the hits, one after another, refusing to give up and call it quits no matter how hard Minerva hit her. Rette was half tempted to run down to the arena and give Minerva a thrashing. Only Mira's hand on her shoulder kept her in place.

"It's about time I send you flying outside." Minerva said, extending one hand.

"If I lose here..."

Minerva raised an eyebrow, wondering what it was that Lucy was going on about. Lucy lift her head, gripping one bleeding arm.

"I won't be able to face everyone who tried so hard...! I won't betray everyone's emotions. That's why I'll never give up." Lucy declared.

With thirty-one seconds left on the clock, Minerva seemed to stop her attack, unwilling to attack Lucy. Rette wasn't fooled in the least. Minerva wasn't one easily touched by the devotion of others. And she proved Rette right, but attacking Lucy with all she had.

"You have your heads in the clouds! Fairy Tail! What kind of a heart do you think we have!? We are the number one in the whole world! We are Sabertooth!" Minerva yelled.

When it looked like Lucy would fall out of the water, Minerva brought her back, teleporting her to the space in front of her. Minerva grabbed Lucy's left wrist and ankle and slammed a knee into her side. Lucy was already done, had already lost. This was nothing more than needless torture.

"She did it torture her..." Gajeel said, gritting his teeth.

"The match is already over isn't it?" Laxus added, just as angry.

But none of them were as angry as Rette. Her three teammates turned uneasy looks on Rette as a dark aura took over Rette's magic, filling the air around her with a dense, dark, almost choking feeling. Rette was furious. Especially when she saw the grins and laughs on the faces of Minerva's teammates. The ref finally called a stop to the match and, gripping her by the throat, Minerva held Lucy out of the water.

"The match has ended! Victor, Minerva! Sabertooth's power! Lucy hasn't been moving for a while. Is she okay!?" Chapati asked.

Gray and Natsu jumped from their balcony, charging towards the arena as Minerva released Lucy, letting her drop to the ground below. They caught her before she could hit the ground. Once she was safe with them, Wendy came running, insisting she give Lucy first aid before the medical team could take her away to the medic bay. Chelia joined her in healing Lucy as Erza joined Natsu and Gray. She turned a dark glare on Minerva as she came sliding done water to the ground below.

"What's with that look?" Minerva asked. "I simply took advantage of the rule. Rather, you should be grateful to me for letting her keep second place. I guess she did not understand. She's useless trash."

Natsu rounded on her, but Orga, Rufus, and Sting stepped between them and Minerva and Erza held out an arm to stop Gray and Natsu. But it wasn't Gray and Natsu they had to worry about.

" **Minerva**."

The low, hissed voice sent a chill down Natsu's and Gray's spines. They knew the voice, but had never quite heard it with that level of fury and ice in it before. All of them turned to find Rette storming towards them, her eyes narrowed in fury and a dark cloud basically surrounding her. Erza had a bad feeling that if she let Rette get any closer to Minerva that this would turn into a blood bath. Erza rushed to Rette's side, grabbing her before she could take another step.

When Rette's sharp eyes landed on Minerva, her smirk faltered. Minerva knew all to well what Rette could do when she was like this.

"Apparently you didn't learn your lesson the last time. This time, a time limit won't stop me." Rette said lowly, the threat clearly a promise.

"Rette, calm down." Erza said lowly into Rette's ear, trying to calm her.

Rette's sharp eyes landed on Minerva, her anger making her blind to her teammates. She didn't try to break free of Erza, though, trying to keep some kind of control on herself. When Erza was sure Rette wouldn't try to pull free, she turned to Minerva.

"I don't care if you're the strongest or number one in Fiore. I will only say one thing. You have made enemies of the worst guild to anger." Erza promised them. "Rette's isn't the only anger you should fear."

Her look matched Rette's in intensity. The two could be sisters with the matching dark look on their faces. Erza, a hand on Rette's shoulder, turned. She gave Natsu and Gray a look and the four of them turned and they rushed Lucy to the medical bay where Porlyusica and Wendy tended to her injuries and changed her into loose clothes. Thyme flew into the room in a rush, a few moments later, flying to Rette's side, concerned about the dark state of Rette's mind. Not far behind her came Juvia and Mira.

"Is Lucy okay!?" Juvia asked.

Behind them came Cana, Gajeel, and Laxus.

"You guys!" Gray said in surprise.

"Even though we're from different teams, we're still in the same guild, right?" Cana asked.

"Thanks to Wendy, her life is not at risk." Porlyusica remarked.

"I am relieved that she has been treated." Erza said from where she and Gray stood at the foot of Lucy's bed.

Natsu, perched on a stool near the bed, growled, angry at the treatment of his friend. Lucy was their friend, their precious family. Only Rette's anger could pass his in intensity. Laxus stopped at Rette's side, laying a hand on her shoulder. As if his simple touch did what nothing else could, he felt the tension in Rette's shoulders begin to wash away. He felt it further melt away as he rubbed one thumb into the base of her neck. Thyme seemed to let go of a breath she had been holding, as Rette relaxed bit by bit.

"Those bastards..." Natsu growled.

"I know what you want to say." Laxus told him.

"Do you know what I want to say?" Rette half growled.

Laxus wasn't even going to answer that. He had a pretty good idea on what she wanted to say but Wendy, a child, was in the room, so he wasn't going to say it out loud.

"Ughh..."

Everyone shifted as Lucy groaned in pain before opening one eye. Happy and Thyme called Lucy's name in relief, Thyme landing on the bed next to Lucy, happy to see she was conscious.

"I'm sorry everyone...I've...lost again." Lucy said, pulling the sheet up to half hide her face.

"What are you saying! You got second place. That's eight points." Gray told her.

"You did great." Erza assured.

"You were splendid, Lucy. A true fairy to the core." Rette assured her.

"My...k-keys..." Lucy called.

"They're here." Happy told her, holding out the case containing Lucy's keys.

"Thank you...so much." Lucy said, taking the case and hugging it to her chest.

As if gaining a peace of mind from having her keys safe in her hands, Lucy drifted back off to sleep. It broke Rette's heart to see Lucy like this, all beat up.

"Seems like she's fallen asleep." Mira said, just happy to see that Lucy would be alright.

"They've put us in such a depressing mood." Cana added, just as angry as the others.

"Sabertooth..." Gray said lowly.

"I don't like this." Gajeel agreed.

"I've never liked Minerva." Rette added.

"So both Team A and Team B are here? Perfect timing."

Everyone turned when Makarov's voice sounded from the door. Makarov walked into the room, heading to the bed. He glanced at Lucy's sleeping, bandaged face. Thyme sat beside Lucy's head, gently patting her hair.

"She'll be alright?" Makarov asked.

"With rest." Porlyusica assured him.

Makarov nodded before turning to look at Rette. Though the dark aura had sense started to fade, they could still somewhat sense it.

"Rette-"

"I know what you're going to ask, Master, and I'm going to have to deny to tell you. I've warned you before that my anger is volatile at best." Rette replied.

Makarov didn't like that she refused to tell them what had happened. Just feeling the darkness that had taken her over, had made him feel like someone had dumped a bucket of ice down his back. He didn't like it, but now really wasn't the time to pressure her into giving him an answer. Especially when she looked like she could still murder someone and laugh about it. Instead, he turned to look at everyone.

"I don't know if this is good or bad news. The Game Administration has ordered us to combine both of our teams together." Makarov told them.

"What!?" Natsu snapped.

"Combining Teams A and B?" Laxus repeated.

"Why would they?" Mira asked.

"They said that because of Raven Tail's disqualification, it would be troublesome to have an odd number of teams in the matches and battles. So we must reorganize a new team with five members." Makarov explained.

"What will happen to our points?" Carla asked.

"They will let us keep the team points with the least amount, Team A's thrity-five points." Makarov replied.

"That's so cruel." Happy remarked.

"We can't help it if that's what the administration has decided." Erza told him.

"Well, another way to think about this...is that we're able to create an even stronger team now." Cana said positively.

"But...even if we decided the five people now, we're only going to be doing a tag team battle right?" Gray asked.

"No...I am sure that between tomorrow's break and the last day, there will be a battle including all five members. You better choose carefully." Porlyusica told him.

"I'll definitely get revenge for Lucy! I won't forgive them for laughing at our friends!" Natsu declared.

Everyone looked at the sleeping Lucy. Lucy, whether she had intended to or not, had been the cause of a fire being lit under them all. Natsu would take the win if for no other reason than to get revenge for the pain Lucy felt and the laughter the members of Sabertooth had done in Lucy's face. Rette was in complete agreement with him.

Fairy Tail would win, one way or the other.

-0-0-0-0-

"The Fairy Tail team has finished reorganizing. And finally, we enter the battle portion of Day four."

Cheers sounded in the arena as the official match-ups for the tag team matches were decided. It would be Blue Pegasus verses Quatro Cerberus, Mermaid Heel verses Lamia Scale, and Sabertooth verses Fairy Tail. Everyone was all geared up for the Sabertooth and Fairy Tail battle.

"Well folks...let's see the new Fairy Tail!" Chapati agreed.

After being wished the best of luck by Rette who parted with them to join the rest of their guild mates in the stands, Gray, Erza, Gajeel, Laxus, and Natsu stepped out onto the field as the new Fairy Tail team. Their strongest of the strongest. The stadium shook with the force of the cheers for the Fairy Tail, the cheers being the complete opposite of the booing they had received the first day of the Games.

With the new Fairy Tail team revealed, the matches started. The first match was Ichiya and Rabbit from Blue Pegasus verses Bacchus and Rocker from Quatro Cerberus. The Rabbit, removed his head, revealing himself to be the exceed, Nichiya. Seeing that it was just a cat, Bacchus took the first swing, laying Nichiya out with a single punch, much to the distress of Ichiya.

Rocker and Bacchus, together, attacked Ichiya then, reducing the match to a two verses one affair. Just when it looked like the two would win, Ichiya, much to the disturbance of many of those watching, managed to dig up some resolve and, to the horror of the Quatro Cerberus team and nearly all members of the audience, took the win in the name of Nichiya. Even the judges had to agree that it had been a disturbing sight to behold.

The next match was Leon and Yuuka from Lamia Scale verses Kagura and Miliana from Mermaid Heel. The match itself was pretty much fair and only ended when their time limit ran out, giving the two teams five points each. Though, some of those watching were pretty sure that, had Kagura taken the match seriously, Mermaid Heel would have won the match. That being said, it ended in a draw and the last, and most looked forward to, battle of the day, was announced.

Fairy Tail's Natsu and Gajeel verse Sabertooth's Sting and Rogue.

A clash of the Dragon Slayers.

"It's finally time for their confrontation! Who will win? The fairy or the tiger! Four dragons have now been released onto the battlefield!" Chapati called into his mic.

From her seat, Rette crossed her arms, letting her eyes drift close so she could focus on the magical energies of the four below. In the four years since she had fought against Sting and Rogue, the two had only grown in power. Natsu and Gajeel were stronger too, there was no doubt about that, but Rette was pretty sure...there was no denying the gap in power between the Dragon Slayers of Sabertooth and the Dragon Slayers of Fairy Tail.

With a single doubt...Natsu and Gajeel were stronger.

Though they couldn't be up there, cheering for Natsu and Gajeel with the rest of their team, Rette was sure that Elfman and Lucy, down in the infirmary, would be silently supporting their teammates from their beds.

In the arena, the gong to start the match, rung. Before Sting and Rogue could move to make their first move, Natsu and Gajeel were in their faces, Natsu delivering an elbow to Sting's face while Gajeel gave Rogue a solid punch. Natsu instantly followed it up with a fiery kick, Gajeel slamming Rogue into the ground before kicking him. Sting used his Roar, Natsu dodging the laser like Roar, only for Sting to reveal that he could make his Roar bend. Natsu dodged it, while Gajeel blocked Rogue's Shadow Dragon's Slash and sent him flying once more...straight into Natsu's awaiting hand.

Natsu grabbed Rogue by the face. Sting turned, concerned for his partner, only for Natsu to attack Sting with Rogue, slamming Rogue into him and casting this Wing Attack spell at the same time. With such a fierce opening, the match looked one sided. Rette, while sure that Natsu and Gajeel would win in the end, knew this wouldn't be one sided. She had fought against all four of them at some point in time and was well aware of their strength.

Not to mention their stubbornness.

None of the four would go down easily. Natsu and Gajeel would win in the end, but Sting and Rogue would go down swinging, fighting tooth and nail.

"Strong, as I thought you had to be." Sting remarked, rubbing the back of his wrist against one corner of his mouth.

"Did you guys really beat dragons with that level of power?" Natsu asked in disbelief.

"Not beat...killed. With these very hands." Sting said.

"Weren't they your parents?" Natsu asked.

"That has nothing to do with you. Now I'll show you the power that kills dragons." Sting retorted.

Sting's and Rogue's power increased then as they used their White Drive and Shadow Drive. Natsu and Gajeel weren't too concerned. Though Natsu realized, quickly, just how much more power Sting had. Sting hit him with a hard punch, before following it up with another that broke through Natsu's guard and nailed him in the face. Gajeel turned to Natsu in surprise, letting his guard down. Rogue took the opening, delivering a kick.

Rette could have told him that he should never drop his guard. Especially not around someone from the Sabertooth guild. While Rogue appeared all the part of a an uptight guy who was anal about order and rules and fairness, he wasn't above taking any opening he found in his opponent's guard. By turning his attention from Rogue, Gajeel had basically offered Rogue a cheek to punch.

Gajeel tried to attack back, but every time he thought he would land a hit, his fist flew through shadows, Rogue no longer there. Rogue would then appear and attack from a different direction. With this, it seemed that the tables had turned and that the sure fire winners were now Rogue and Sting.

"I always looked up to you. And I aimed to surpass you. Now is that time!" Sting told Natsu.

Sting's next attack hit Natsu square in the chest, burning through his clothes and leaving some kind of brand on his skin. Rette leaned forward, eyeing the symbol curiously. Sting hadn't used this when he had fought against her.

"The White Dragon's Claw is a holy attack. A body marked by it's stigmata has it's freedom taken away. And with this, I will surpass you!" Sting declared, attacking again.

And now Rette was happy he hadn't used it against her in their fight. She's wasn't too fond of the idea of having her freedom stolen from her.

On the other side of things, it looked like Rogue had Gajeel right where he wanted him, but Gajeel had caught onto the pattern on Rogue's attacks, catching his next punch and stopping it. At the same time, Natsu grinned, dodging Sting's attack only to slam a fiery fist into Sting's face. It shocked Sting since Natsu, because of the stigmata branded on his skin, shouldn't have been able to move. But one look at Natsu's chest, showed that Natsu had managed to burn the mark off.

Sting used a Dragon Slayer Secret Art then, in an attempt to hold onto the flow of the match, but Natsu easily stopped the attack. Even to the judges, it was evident that the levels between Natsu and Gajeel and Sting and Rogue, was just too different. Feeling that they had no choice, Sting and Rogue resulted to using their Dragon Force, boosting their power even more. Marks like those of scales, appeared over their bodies, Sting's painting his skin white while Rogue's painted his black. It shocked several of those in Fairy Tail that the two of them could summon the use of their Dragon Force, by will.

Though, Rette wasn't all that surprised.

Natsu had been able to his Dragon Force before, but it hadn't been by will. He had only been able to use it after eating Etherion. As far as they knew, Natsu was the only one out of the Fairy Tail Dragon Slayers, aside from Laxus, that had been able to use it. No one knew about Rette. None of them had asked her. But Sting and Rogue were third generation Dragon Slayers, and could use it by will. By all rights, that meant Rette should be able to too, since, like Sting and Rogue, she had been raised by a dragon as well as had a dragon lacrima inside her.

Then again, she had two. In some ways, with the two different Dragon Slayer magics and her ability to combine the two types together, Rette was a like a new, fourth generation all of her own. Therefore, the circumstances under which she could use her Dragon Force, could be different. None of them knew if she was able to use Dragon Force or not. They would have to ask her.

With his Dragon Force in use, Sting insisted he would be enough for Natsu and Gajeel and attacked, leaving Rogue to stand back. He attacked Natsu first, his attack hitting hard enough to stun Natsu. Gajeel tried to attack Sting while he was focused on Natsu, but Sting dropped to the ground, letting the attack fly over his head. With a smirk, he hit Gajeel with another strong attack. Natsu came flying at Sting then, but Sting caught his fiery fist and slammed a knee into Natsu's gut. He sent Natsu flying into Gajeel just as Natsu had sent Rogue flying into him earlier.

Sting's next attack, blew out the floor of the arena, sending Natsu and Gajeel tumbling down into the hole that was the result. So that the audience could see what was going on, lacrima screens were quickly provided. Sting followed Natsu and Gajeel down into the hole, refusing to let that be the end of it. Natsu attacked Sting from below, Gajeel following it up with an attack from behind. Neither attack did much damage, Sting countering their attacks, sending them flying away from him. Ignoring Gajeel in favor of Natsu, Sting went after him. Natsu crossed his arms in front of him to block the punch, but he still went flying.

Back and forth, Sting attacked the two, making those watching wonder if Natsu and Gajeel really stood a chance. Rogue watched from above as Sting laid out both Natsu and Gajeel. It looked like it was over and that Sting and Rogue would be the victors. Thinking he had won, Sting reverted back to his normal state, letting go of his use of the Dragon Force. But then Natsu and Gajeel, the hard headed idiots that they were, popped back up.

"He's better than I thought." Gajeel remarked.

"But I found out all of your habits." Natsu declared.

Far above them, standing on her balcony, Rette was leaning on the guard wall, watching the match from a lacrima screen, her guild mates standing around her.

"The timing of your attacks, your pose when you're protecting yourself...even the rhythm of your breathing. You actually have the same timing for your attacks that Rette has. Well...when she's playing with someone. When she takes it seriously, her attack timing is faster than yours." Natsu declared over the screen.

A few of the others glanced at Rette as she huffed, smiles on their faces. Even Thyme laughed silently behind one paw. Rette wasn't really angry though. She was glad to see that Natsu was taking this seriously. She was sure that Natsu and Gajeel would win the match. Hands down.

Back where Sting and Rogue stood facing Natsu and Gajeel, Sting couldn't believe what he was hearing or seeing. Natsu and Gajeel should have been down for the count. He insisted that it couldn't be true since he had been using Dragon Force. Natsu pretty much waved that off.

"For example, when you attack you turn your pivot leg to eleven o'clock." Natsu said.

"No, it's ten o'clock." Gajeel corrected.

"It's eleven." Natsu argued.

"Then let's say it's ten-thirty! It's not eleven. Starrilia is eleven! You're getting them confused!" Gajeel snapped.

"It's eleven! Or twenty-three! Rette's is nine o'clock!" Natsu retorted.

"That's one more turn and hers is eleven!" Gajeel snapped.

From her seat, Rette shook her head as her guild mates stared at the screen in disbelief. She couldn't believe that, after seven years, they were still this immature. Granted, to them, it was like no time had passed at all, but still.

"They're both wrong. It's actually seven-thirty." Rette remarked, folding her arms over her stomach.

She was well aware as to how she turned her leg or didn't turn her leg when she was fighting and they were both wrong. They watched as, annoyed, Natsu pushed Gajeel into a mining cart and flipped the lever that sent the cart wheeling off down it's tracks. Gajeel, his motion sickness kicking in, was unable to get out and soon vanished down the track, leaving a smirking Natsu behind.

Rette hoped he knew what he was doing.

Sting and Rogue stared at Natsu in disbelief. Neither could belief what Natsu had just done. Not that Rette understood any better than them, even after knowing Natsu for as long as she had. Seven years apart, didn't change that.

"Wha...what are you doing?" Sting asked.

"Since you underestimated me, I have to reply. I'll be enough. Come on both of you! Are your fired up now?" Natsu replied.

Rette shifted then, her eyes darting around. The same magical energy she had felt during Wendy's match the day before, had suddenly entered her magical range once more. Once again, it was like that of Zeref's but still somewhat different. With it's appearance, she could feel Jellal on the move once again. He would take care of it, Rette was sure.

"Are you saying that...you...are enough? You're kidding me..." Sting growled.

"I have no business with you. I wanna fight against Gajeel." Rogue added.

"Then beat me and go." Natsu replied simply.

"Dragon Force is the same as the dragons' power. Nothing excels it in this world!" Sting snapped.

Rette was sure there were things in the world that could be stronger than a dragon's power. She had seen it with her own eyes.

Making use of his Dragon Force once more, Sting attacked. This time, though, Natsu was easily able to fend off the attack.

"I killed Weisslogia with this power!" Sting snapped.

"I see. Then I'll use this power...to fight for my friends that you made fun of." Natsu replied, landing a solid punch to Sting's face.

The match continued, with Natsu effortlessly handling the both of them. His friends smiled, watching with pride as Natsu took on the two by himself, knocking them back whenever they attacked. In a move that was far to similar to Rette's magic to really be of any effect on Natsu, Sting and Rogue came together to preform an Unison Raid. Though it was strong, Natsu knew...Rette's magic was stronger. It would be an insult to her if he allowed their attack to bring him down.

Natsu's counter attack was enough to blow a hole out of the side of the small mountain that the arena sat on, as well as bring both Sting and Rogue down. With that, Natsu, on his own in the end, took the win for Fairy Tail. The win was enough to bump their team to the number one position on the score board.

Rette winced and staggered a bit when Lisanna and Evergreen suddenly launched themselves at her, hugging her as they cheered loudly for Natsu. With Natsu's victory, they would go into the last day of the tournament in first place. Even Thyme jumped at Lily, hugging him as she silently cheered for the win.

"The fourth day of the Grand Magic Games ends here! You have one day to rest. The last battle will take place the day after tomorrow! The last day is a survival battle where all the members of each guild participate. Who will be the winner!? Look forward to it!"

With those words from Chapati, the fourth day of the Games, came to an end.

Levy, with Jet and Droy behind her, and Rette and Thyme just behind them, went to visit Lucy not long afterward.

"Lucy, we did it!" Levy called, waving to Lucy as Rette leaned against the door jam. "If things keep going this way we might win!"

"Of course! Those guys would never lose!" Lucy agreed.

"By the way, have you seen Gajeel?" Levy asked.

"Uh? Isn't he back yet?" Lucy asked.

"He's probably somewhere eating iron." Elfman remarked.

"Or sulking because Natsu pulled a fast one on him." Rette agreed.

The others laughed in agreement with Rette. Since she was able to move, at least, without too much pain, Lucy was released from the infirmary shortly after with an order to take it easy. Rette was just heading back to Honeybone with Wendy, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, and the exceeds, talking with Lucy and Wendy, when Gajeel found them and insisted that Rette, Natsu, and Wendy come with him. The three looked at each other, Rette shrugging her shoulders. Lucy and Gray joined them as Gajeel lead them back towards the arena.

"What did you find, Gajeel?" Rette asked.

"Shut up and follow me."

Gajeel flinched slightly when Rette turned a sharp look on him. He had to remember that he couldn't talk like that to Rette without risking her wrath.

"Why only us?" Natsu asked.

"Is it something related to Dragon Slayers?" Happy asked.

"Probably." Lily replied, Thyme nodding her agreement.

"Even if you say so...there are onlookers too." Carla added.

Carla glanced towards Gray and Lucy. Gray wasn't really all that concerned and Lucy replied that they were curious. As if that would excuse them. Rette simply waved it off. It didn't matter to her. If this really had something to do with Dragon Slayers, she would rather leave, but she couldn't help but admit...she was curious too.

"It's here." Gajeel said, leading them out of the tunnel they had been following and into a large cavern. Rette came to a stop, Natsu and Wendy pausing in shock on either side of her. Before them rose the large, time worn bones of a creature Rette was very familiar with.

"What's that?" Gray asked.

"It looks like...animal bones." Lucy remarked.

"They're dragon bones." Rette said. "It's a graveyard of dragon bones. There has to be dozens upon dozens here."

"Are these all dragon bones!?" Happy asked.

"So many..." Carla voiced, Thyme agreeing as they looked around.

"This place confirms the existence of dragons." Lily remarked.

"What's this place?" Gray asked.

"No idea." Gajeel replied.

Rette didn't care about what the place was. Her eyes were wide as she approached one set of bones. Reaching out, she laid a hand on the bones, running fingers over them. She felt a stab in the heart as she looked at the bones.

"I don't understand...why so many dragons?" Natsu asked.

"Did something happen here?" Lucy asked.

"Maybe Igneel is also..."

"Happy!" Carla snapped, cutting Happy off.

"No. He wouldn't be here." Rette said. "None of our dragons would be."

All eyes turned to Rette as she ran a hand over the bones before her, her touch looking almost tender. Her eyes were intent on the bones, her expression calm and blank once more.

"Our dragons disappeared fourteen years ago. If they had died anytime during those years, their bones wouldn't be worn clean like this. And there's no trace of outside magic on the bones, so there was no magic used to make them appear this way. No...these bones have to be hundreds of years old." Rette said.

"Milky Way."

Rette turned to look at Wendy when she suddenly spoke. She looked like an idea had just hit her. The others turned to look at her as well.

"What do you mean, Wendy?" Lucy asked.

"It's Milky Way. Milky Way, one of the Dragon Techniques Poluysica taught me. "Listen to the voices of the dragons, connected to the river in the sky". I thought it was an attack type of magic...but maybe it's this. Milky Way might be a magic used to listen to the voice of the dragons who became souls." Wendy said.

"It could be." Rette admitted.

"If we can hear the voices of the dragons lying here...we might be able to know what happened. And maybe we might find out something about our dragons too." Wendy said.

With this said, Wendy went about getting ready for the spell, drawing out a magic circle in the dirt under her feet. Rette stood off to the side, one hand propped on her hip, watching Wendy.

"A magic circle?" Lucy asked.

"I was using the wrong letter because I thought it was an attack type of magic!" Wendy said confidently.

"You would think something like that would be included in the notes Porluysica gave you." Rette remarked. "Especially since it stands between you being able to cast the spell or not."

Wendy simply shrugged it off and finished up drawing the magic circle. It didn't matter since she had finally figured it out. Better late than never.

"Please step back." Wendy told the others.

They all stepped back, giving Wendy the room she needed. Wendy gently fell to her knees in the middle of the circle and raised her arms over her head.

"Wandering souls of the dragons...I am ready to receive your voices. Milky Way!" Wendy called.

The magic came alive in a brilliant shine. Rivers of milky light trailed out from the magic circle, twisting and turning as they moved through the dragon bones, which then began to vibrate. Lucy jumped, diving behind Gray.

"It this ok, Wendy?" Gray asked, looking around a little uncomfortably.

"I'm looking for the souls of the dragons. The residual auras wandering in this place are extremely old and small...found!" Wendy said, declaring the last word as she brought her hands together before her.

Before them, a glowing orb formed before shifting and forming a large, green dragon, who spread his jaws and roared liked he was getting ready to attack them. Gray, Natsu, and Gajeel yelled in shock and fear, Rette heaving a sigh when the dragon showed to just be messing with them. He laughed, proud of himself at the dumbfounded and shocked looks on everyone's face but Rette's.

"It's always funny to see people's shocked faces." the dragon said. "My name is Zirconis, also known as the Dragon of Jade. This technique that summoned my soul must be Grandeneey's. Where are you?"

Zicronis looked around, as if trying to locate the other dragon. Instead, his eyes fell on Wendy. Crouching down, he turned his head side ways to try to put an eye on level with the small girl.

"Cute! Did this little Dragon Slayer summon me?" Zicronis asked.

"Hey! Stay away from Wendy!" Natsu snapped.

"No. I'm going to eat this girl." Zicronis said.

"Bastard!" Natsu snapped.

"Natsu, calm down. He can't do anything to her." Rette told Natsu.

"She's right. It's just a joke! What a stupid race. Look! What can a "ghost" do? Aahaha!"

Zicronis laughed as he waved a claw at Wendy, the thing passing through her harmlessly. No one else seemed to find it funny in the least. Rette wished she could say that it was just this dragon, but from her experience...every drgaon she had met, had a horrible sense of humor.

"What's with this crazy person?" Lucy asked.

"It's not a person, it's a dragon." Gray retorted.

"Well, a soul." Gajeel corrected.

"My name is Zicronis, also known as the Dragon of-"

"We heard it already!" Gray snapped when Zicronis tried to introduce himself again.

"What happened here?" Carla asked.

"This place is full of dragon skeletons." Happy added.

"We summoned your soul to find out the truth." Lily finished.

"I have nothing to say to humans. Go away." Zicronis told them.

"We're cats." Carla pointed out.

Just as quickly as he had stated that he had nothing to say to humans, he changed his mind and decided to tell them what had happened. He was changing his mind so often that Rette wondered if she would get whiplash from it.

"Right...it happened over four hundred years ago. Dragons used to be the kings of the world back then. They could freely fly through the sky, walk the earth, and cross the sea. There was prosperity. Everything in this world belonged to the dragons. Human beings were nothing more than our food." Zicronis told them.

"Sounds like it was a good time to be a dragon." Rette remarked.

Zicronis gave a mighty nod of his head in agreement with the statement.

"However...a foolish dragon started to question the sovereignty of our species. He talked nonsense and wanted a world where dragons and humans could coexist. A war started between the dragons who approved of his ideals and the ones who were against them." Zicronis said.

"Against...does it mean that you...?" Lucy trailed off.

"I don't like humans. Though I love them as food." Zicronis said.

"You're talking to food." Natsu said, laughing.

"Hey! You're getting on my nerves!" Zicronis snapped.

"Don't worry. He does that to humans too." Rette assured the dragon.

Natsu snapped a "hey" at her, but she simply waved him off. If he didn't want her to say things like that, then he shouldn't act that way.

"What happened to the war?" Carla asked.

"The war continued for a long time. The fights between dragons ruined many places. Until the dragons that supported coexistence came up with a foolish strategy. They taught humans the magic to slay dragons and asked them to join the battle." Zicronis said.

"Thus the beginning of Dragon Slayer magic." Rette remarked.

"So that's how Dragon Slayers were born?" Happy asked.

"The power of the Dragon Slayers was immense. It was clear that the dragons that wanted coexistence were going to win. However...there was a miscalculation." Zicronis said.

"The humans' greed." All eyes turned to look at Rette, who seemed confident in her answer. "Tundron use to tell me that, while humans were a fascinating species, most of our kind were faulted by greed. He made it point to teach me that, in life, I should want for nothing and be happy with what good I have."

That, in itself, explained a lot about Rette. It explained why she settled for what she had and didn't try to strive for more. She didn't want to be greedy.

"Yes. The Dragon Slayers, who had become too powerful...started to kill the dragons that were on their side too. And among those human's there was one who bathed in too much dragon blood. I'm scared to even say his name. That "man" murdered countless dragons and kept on bathing in the blood. Eventually his skin became scales, his teeth became fangs, and he gradually started to look more and more like a dragon." Zicronis said.

"A man became a dragon?" Lucy asked in fear.

"That is how Dragon Slaying magic evolves. All the dragons sleeping here were murdered by that man. Despite being a man, he became the king of dragons. The war that brought the birth of the king of dragons was called the Dragon King Festival. The name of the king was Acnologia. While being a dragon, he had undragon-like pitch-black wings." Zicronis said.

Rette's teeth ground together, her body stiffening. Acnologia, huh? She could still remember the dragon that had appeared at Tenrou Island, dead set on wiping it and everyone on it from the face of the earth. She remembered well the years of loss and sorrow and pain that had been brought on by that dragon. Remembered all the tears her guild mates shed because they had thought their friends lost. Well, it hadn't worked and whenever Rette finally laid eyes on the dragon, she was going to bring him hell. It shocked all of them though, that he had once been human.

"There was a prophecy, though." Zicronis said idly.

"Prophecy?" Lucy asked.

"It insisted that, one day, a second queen would rise to over throw the king. "A queen with scales of pale blue and silver, a youthful gaze that knew the world for what it was, and a heart of hope". I, personally, never believed it." Zicronis remarked.

It sounded a little farfetched in Rette's opinion, but then again, she never really had believed in something like prophecy.

"He didn't believe it either. Most of the dragons were killed by him. This is what happened four hundred years ago. Because of you, I was..."

Before Zicronis could finish what he was saying, he faded out of existence. Wendy sagged forward, exhausted.

"Wendy?" Rette asked, knelling beside her, a hand on her back.

"Sorry...his aura vanished completely. I think this is what people from the east call "entering nirvana"." Wendy said.

"We're talking about something huge here." Gray remarked.

"Too much." Lucy told him.

"Does this mean that if we use Dragon Slayer magic too much we become dragons too!?" Natsu asked, panicked.

"I don't want to." Gajeel retorted.

"Oh my..." Wendy added, nearly in tears.

"I'm not too concerned."

The three turned to look at Rette. Of course she wasn't concerned. She hardly ever used her Dragon Slayer magic. She had used it more in the last few years, finally, somewhat accepting it in their absence, but she still preferred her Nexus magic to it. Though, if the theory was correct, Rette possibly had a higher chance of it than them, since she held the magic of two dragons instead of one.

"That's impossible."

A new voice suddenly entering the conversation, made them all turn. A man in white armor was coming their way.

"I listened to the whole story. Indeed, the historical facts match what we researched. Do you know the demons in Zeref's book?" the man asked.

Just the mention of Zeref's name, made Rette's skin crawl. Too many bad memories of her father's insane ranting. The mention of Zeref's demons had Gray gritting his teeth as well.

"Acnologia is similar to them. According to a hypothesis, it was Zeref who transformed a man into Acnologia. In other words, destroying Zeref, the original cause of all that is evil, would be the first step to defeat Acnologia."

Rette hadn't seen Acnologia, hadn't been there to sense the dragon's magic, so she had no idea if the magic even felt remotely the same. All she knew was that she had felt the dark magic on her father. If she came in contact with the dragon, she would know instantly if it had the same magical feel to it as Zeref. Rette didn't say this, though, for her attention was snagged by who was walking at the knight's side.

"Yukino!?" Lucy gasped.

"Who are you?" Gajeel demanded.

"I'm the head of the Holy Chivalric Order of the Cherry Blossoms, a part of the army of the kingdom of Fiore that is stationed in Crocus." the knight said.

"And I'm Yukino Agria, temporary sergeant." Yukino added.

"Why is the upper stratum of the army here?" Gray asked.

"Yukino...weren't you a member of Sabertooth?" Lucy asked.

"You said they forced you to leave, right?" Happy asked.

"Exactly." Yukino replied.

And she had gone and joined the army instead? Rette wasn't quite sure that was the life change that Yukino needed to make, but it wasn't her life.

"I'll explain." the knight said. "We needed the power of a Celestial mage for a certain strategy...so we asked Sergeant Yukino to help us."

"A Celestial mage?" Wendy asked.

"Wait! I don't understand what you're talking about! Stop saying complex stuff and tell us what you want!" Natsu snapped.

"You're Natsu Dragneel, right? Your fight was really wonderful." the knight replied, before turning his eyes to Rette. "And you are Rette Starrilia. I saw your match four years ago. Quite the spectacle taking on all five members of the Sabertooth by yourself."

Rette didn't reply, though one corner of her mouth did twist slightly. It hadn't been a performance she was proud of since she had seriously lost her temper. Natsu stepped up to the knight then, putting them nose to nose, his expression that of anger.

"I couldn't care less. I'm more interested to know why you need a Celestial mage. If you've got something to say, say it clearly." Natsu told him.

Instead of answering, the knight turned on his heel, calling for them to come with him. Rette didn't think it was a good idea. A lot of things about the kingdom had changed in the last seven years. She wasn't one to easily trust a member of the army, but she really didn't want to let her friends go without her.

"Lucy-sama, I will ask you too. If this plan is successful, we will be able to defeat Zeref and Acnologia." Yukino said.

And just like that, Rette was hooked. Before any of her friends could say a word, Rette started forward. The others followed and they were lead to the king's palace.

"First of all, I would like to apologize for trying to kidnap Lucy-dono a few days ago. It was a mistake." the knight said.

"What!? Did you do that!?" Natsu and Gray snapped.

"Of course I didn't mean to cause any harm. But I guess I was a little forceful. That time I believed we needed a Celestial mage immediately, so I ended up making a hasty decision. I am sorry. The Grand Magic Games was a camouflage to obtain a great amount of magic from various mages." he told them.

"Have you been stealing magic every year?" Gray asked.

"How dirty." Gajeel remarked.

"You can say whatever you wish. It was all for the sake of a certain project. Eclipse, the door that can change the world. A large amount of magic power was needed to build it."

Just then, they arrived at a room far below the main part of the castle. There stood a large door with twelve key holes in it. Rette froze a good distance from the door, hissing lowly to herself. Now that she stood before the door, she knew that this had to be magic Jellal had been talking about, the magic she had sensed four years ago. The magic coming off the door was a mix of Celestial magic and Zeref's magic and it was enough to make Rette want to get the hell out of there.

"When the sun and moon intersect, open the door with the twelve keys. If you open the door, you will be able to travel back four hundred years and defeat Zeref before he was immortal. This is the Eclipse Project."

Rette was sure, at that moment, that she wanted the hell out of there. Something about the way the words, "travel back four hundred years" rang, had warning bells blaring inside Rette. It was like something, deep inside her, was trying to warn her to run like hell. Rette, normally, would have heeded an instinct like that.

"Lucy-sama, I heard that time flows differently in the Celesital Spirit world." Yukino remarked.

"That is true, but..."

"We want the help of a Celestial mage to use the dimensional boundary line of the Celestial Spirit world to open the door." Yukino said.

"Originally we were meant to substitute the Celestial mage with pseudo-magic but with a real Celestial mage and the twelves keys this project will be even more perfect. It's absolutely necessary. When the sun and the moon intersect. In other words, in three days, on July seventh. I would like you to help us, Lucy-dono."

Rette's eyes flew to this white knight who was asking Lucy's help to travel back in time. Her attention had snagged on something else other than the fact that he was asking for Lucy's help with this project of his.

July seventh...

"The same day our dragons vanished." Wendy said, voicing Rette's thoughts.

"Is it just a coincidence?" Gajeel asked.

"An eclipse, the intersection of the sun and the moon." Gray mused.

"I really have a bad feeling about this." Rette remarked.

Just then, soldiers stormed into the room, yelling for them not to move. They surrounded them, boxing them in. Rette pressed her back against Natsu's and Gray's, her eyes scanning the soldiers around them.

"What!? What is this?" Arcadios asked.

"Please be quiet. Colonel Arcadios."

Rette turned as a short, older man with a scar over half the bridge of his nose, stepped forward, a stern look on his face as he looked at Arcadios.

"Minister of the Defense, what does this mean?" Arcadios asked.

"I should say that. It's absolutely outrageous that you would reveal national top secret information to outsiders." the Minister replied.

"They're not outsiders! As you probably know, they will have an important role in this plan." Arcadios argued.

"That isn't something so easy that you can decide it on your own." the Minister replied.

"You're just against the project! Please stop this nonsense right away!" Arcadios yelled.

"Of course I'm against it! You want to change history! Can you even imagine how dangerous that might be!? Brat!" the minister snapped.

It was true. To change the past, was to change the present. Rather they were trying to change the past for the better or not, did not always mean that the future would change for the better. They had no way of knowing how messing with the past would effect their present. Rette, despite a horrible past, wasn't fond of the idea of messing with the way the present was.

She didn't want to see if her life could take an even more twisted turn than it had upon her birth.

"I'm arresting you for treason against the country! I'm going to arrest Yukino Agria and Lucy Heartfilia too! Expel the others from here!" the minister demanded.

Natsu tried to defend Lucy but, being so close to the gate, his magic was simply sucked into the gate, draining Natsu of his magic. Rette took a dive, catching Natsu before he could hit the ground. She winced as her knees collided with the stone floor. She was getting too old for this.

Even if twenty-five wasn't really all that old.

"Didn't you hear? The Grand Magic Games was a system to steal small parts of a mage's magic to send it to the Eclipse Gate. But if you try to use your magic when you're so close it will be absorbed completely. Do not cause a ruckus. Mages unable to use magic aren't considered enemies by our army." the minister said.

With that, Rette, Natsu, Wendy, Gray, Gajeel, and the exceeds were kicked out of the palace, Lucy, Yukino and Arcadios dragged away by guards.

"I would like you to understand that this is not simply my will. It's all for the sake of the country. However...I have an advice for you. His majesty really likes Fairy Tail. If you win the Grand Magic Games I will let you have an audience with him. He is a magnanimous person, I am sure he will show consideration towards your friend." Minister Durton told them before the door swung close.

This wasn't good. Natsu would be furious when he woke up, Lucy was now locked up, and the whole business with the gate really put Rette on edge. She hadn't felt this kind of unease in twenty long years.

"What are we going to do now?" Gray asked.

"First, we're going to get Natsu back to Honeybone and then we're going to speak to Master. He'll be able to tell us what to do from there." Rette replied.

Gray and Gajeel nodded and, together, they got Natsu up. They lead the way back to Honeybone, Rette and Wendy bringing up the rear with the exceeds. They would think of something, anything to save Lucy.

But first, they needed to retreat and regroup.

END

Kyandi: And there is your new chapter!

Rette: She's looking forward to the next few chapters.

Kyandi: Of course I am. The plot is only going to thicken after the Grand Magic Games.

Rette: Not to mention that with the last day of the Games, both story lines are going to go off into different directions.

Kyandi: That is part of the reason why there are two time lines.

Rette: That, and you were trying to please all of your readers.

Kyandi: Is that so bad?

Rette: I guess not.

Kyandi: Good, because their opinions matter more than yours.

Rette: Well, now I'm hurt.

Kyandi: No you aren't. Anyway, everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: We shall return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	17. Day Off, Day to Plan

Kyandi: Hello, my lovelies!

Rette: We have returned after she got horribly side tracked.

Kyandi: Yeah...sorry about that. But this chapter has a little something...special for all of you.

Rette: Oh...the Laxette moment.

Kyandi: Yep! So for all of you Laxette shippers, you're really going to want to read this chapter.

Rette: I guess you could say...we grow closer?

Kyandi: I think so. So without any further delay, let's get to it! Everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 17 Day Off, Day to Plan

The next morning, Makarov called a meeting with those who had been at the palace when Lucy was arrested. When they arrived, they found Makarov had also gathered Laxus, Mirajane, Erza, and Juvia to join them. Natsu, who had finally awoken after having his magic drained, was tied to a pillar to keep him from rushing back to the palace.

Once everyone was in place, Gray and Rette explained what happened.

"Lucy was captured by the kingdom's army?" Erza asked. "And she was accused to be involved in some mysterious project?"

"So in other words, we can only get back Lucy if we win the Grand Magic Games?" Laxus asked.

"That's what he said, but then again, who's to say if we can even trust what he said?" Rette replied, one hand on her hip.

"Who cares about that!? I'm going to save her now!" Natsu yelled.

"Please calm down, Natsu." Wendy told him.

"Our opponent is the king." Happy added.

"We cannot act rashly, since we're against the king...on the other hand, they can't treat the citizens roughly. They're probably using her as a hostage until the Eclipse Project is blocked." Makarov said.

"That makes even less sense to me." Rette retorted.

Makarov gave her a questioning look.

"Think about it. Why let us go, knowing that we, too, have this top secret information? In a normal case of something like this, wouldn't it be the first course of action to silence all who know?" Rette asked.

"Maybe they want to use us as witnesses to condemn that Arcadios in the future." Lily suggested.

"Still, we might very easily spread the top secret information." Carla countered.

"Maybe they realized they can't hide it much longer." Erza chimed in.

"If they capture all of us no one wouldn've known about this." Gray argued, in agreement with Rette that this was fishy.

"Well, if you think about it, you're participants of the Grand Magic Games. It would be suspicious if you suddenly didn't show up." Mira said.

"I don't think the kingdom wants a mage guild as their enemy." Juvia remarked.

"I wouldn't either if that guild happened to be Fairy Tail. We're known trouble makers and widely known for making good on revenge. Even in the seven years that you were gone, that held true. Well...at least with me." Rette stated.

Now that was a point that none of them could argue. When someone messed with Fairy Tail, no matter who they were, they never got off easily. Especially if the person getting the revenge, was Rette herself.

"To us it's irrational that they would arrest Lucy. But the kingdom's army probably considers it just." Erza remarked.

"Stop blabbering, let's go save her!" Natsu yelled, finally managing to break free of the ropes tying him down.

Makarov easily squished him under an enlarged fist, knocking him back down.

"Cool down." Makarov told Natsu. "They got a member of our family, it's no time to celebrate. I am sure we're all thinking the same."

A glance around the room at those gathered before him, showed Makarov that he was right. The look in each of the eyes, even in Rette's, was the same. They would do whatever they could to get Lucy back because she was apart of Fairy Tail.

"Considering our opponent, this time we cannot just attack them without thinking about the consequences. But here at Fairy Tail...we're not cowards either." Makarov said.

"Then what are we going to do?" Rette asked.

Makarov thought for a moment, his eyes scanning those in front of him. When the idea came to him, he nodded to himself.

"We'll attack on two fronts. While the final day of the Games is underway, a second team will sneak into the palace to rescue Lucy." Makarov said.

"Two teams. One as a distraction of sorts and the other working behind the scenes. It's brilliant." Rette remarked.

"Then who's going to be on what team?" Gray asked.

Makarov scanned them all again. Obviously, they had to put forth a team that could win the Games, but they needed strong people to go after Lucy too. Makarov had a good idea on who was going to do what.

"Erza, Laxus, Gray, Gajeel, and Juvia. You five will take part in the last event." Makarov said.

All eyes turned to Makarov in surprise. They could understand Erza, Laxus, Gray and Gajeel. They were four of their strongest members. But why Juvia in the place of Natsu, who had taken part in every part of the Games thus far?

"Mira, Wendy, Happy, Carla, Thyme, Lily...and Natsu. You will sneak into the palace." Makarov said.

Just then, Mavis decided to make an appearance, scaring Makarov half to death when she suddenly appeared beside him.

"Oh, Master, the First Master is here." Rette said idly, providing him with the warning a little too late.

Makarov gave Rette a put out look but Rette simply shrugged her shoulders. When she had promised to warn him about Mavis appearing, so he wouldn't nearly have a heart attack every time, she hadn't promised to tell him **before** Mavis popped up.

"If I may, Sixth Master, I'd like to add someone to the infiltration team." Mavis said brightly.

"Who?" Makarov asked.

Mavis turned then, her eyes going to Rette, a large smile on her face.

"Rette."

All eyes turned to Rette, who blinked once, twice, in surprise before her eyebrows dropped. She crossed her arms over her stomach in a gesture that was almost uncomfortable.

"Master Mavis, are you sure? I'm sure you've heard of how I get when I lose my temper and I'm pretty close to losing it now. Are you sure you want to unleash that inside the royal palace?" Rette asked.

"I have heard and I admit, it's troubling, but you've carried Fairy Tail on your shoulders for the last seven years. And with a level head, I have heard. I believe you would a wise addition to the infiltration team." Mavis assured her.

Erza reached out, laying a hand on Rette's shoulder. Rette glanced at her, Erza giving her an encouraging smile. Rette nodded, turning her eyes back to Mavis.

"I'll do my best." Rette agreed.

"Good. Everyone needs to act normal, stay out of trouble. Tomorrow, we put our plan into motion." Makarov said, dismissing them.

They would meet up later that day to fully discuss plans. Since they had the day off, Rette decided that she would go out into town. After everything that had gone down the day before, she knew that if she let herself stay prone for too long, it would drive her insane. She needed to get up and out and about to keep herself calm.

Grabbing her bag from her room, Rette headed off into town with Thyme. The streets were just as busy and full as any other day she had walked through them in the last five days. Thyme sat on her shoulder as they visited a few different shops, even stopping at a sweets shop that sold Rette's favorite dark chocolate truffles. After buying enough individually wrapped packages to last her two months, Rette left, pleased with herself.

"You actually look giddy like a girl for once."

The voice, speaking from right behind her, had Rette turning to look up into the smiling face of a bare chested Orga. Rette blinked up at him before carefully blanking her face and turning away from him.

"Don't you ever wear a shirt?" she asked, instead of saying anything in reply to his remark.

"Don't you ever wear underwear?" he asked in retort, remembering that she had once claimed that underwear was "the devil's tools to women's suffering".

"At least you can't tell with me." Rette retorted.

She didn't have to turn around and look to know that he was following her. Normally she would have ignored a guy if he was doing the same thing, but she was still highly displeased with Minerva and her team as a whole.

"Can I help you?" she asked, shifting her head back to look at him as he walked at her side.

Orga grinned back down at her as Thyme growled low in her throat. She knew that grin, had seen it on several men's faces before. It was pretty obvious where this conversation was going to go.

"If you're free, how about we go get that drink I offered you four years ago?" he offered.

She knew it.

"No thanks. I'm on my way to meet someone." Rette replied back instantly.

Sure, it was a lie, but anything to get him to go away. She really didn't want to be around him at the moment. Hell, she would even accept a date with Laxus just to get away from Orga. Rette backed up a step, her back meeting the wall of a building as he leaned forward to brace an arm over her head. He grinned at her from the close quarters. Thyme hissed lowly, flashing claws at him, but Orga didn't seem to worried about the little cat.

"Come on. One drink." he insisted.

"She said no."

Rette, Thyme, and Orga all turned when a third voice joined the conversation. Standing not far from them, looking mighty annoyed, was Laxus. The blond man glared at Orga. Rette could have sworn she detected a spark or two of lightning along his shoulders.

"Oh yeah? And who are you to butt in?" Orga asked.

Laxus walked forward, taking Rette's hand lightly in his. He pulled her away from Orga and to his side before stepping between her and Orga to shield her with his own body.

"I'm the one she was coming to meet. Stick to your own guild and stay the hell away from mine." Laxus snapped.

With that, he turned on his heel and, pulling Rette behind him, took off down the street. Rette stumbled at first as she tried to keep up with his longer strides and Thyme had to cling to her to keep from falling off her shoulder. She gasped out his name when she almost tripped and he shortened his strides to match hers, but he didn't let go of her hand until they had walked a few blocks. When he was sure they were a good distance from Orga, he stopped and turned to Rette.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Of course I am. I can handle a man asking me out without trouble." Rette replied before her eyes shifted away from him, almost as if in embarrassment. "But, uh...thank you."

Laxus smiled. She was really adorable when she tried to hide her embarrassment. In the last seven years, it seemed she had become less guarded. Of course, she saw the smile on his face and instantly snatched her hand away from him, turning to present him with her back.

"I don't know what you're smiling about. I can thank people too." she said.

"Yeah, I know. You know, I did just help you. I think that deserves a reward." Laxus said, stepping around her to face her.

"I'm not giving you a kiss for that." Rette told him.

"I wasn't gonna ask for that." Laxus countered.

He watched as one of her eyebrows went up. Her arms crossed, almost defensively, in front of her and her chin tilted up, her eyes narrowing in a suspicious kind of way.

"Then what is it you're going to ask for?" she asked.

"A date. After all, I did just help you. A date with me has to be better than one with him." Laxus said, his tone almost a growl by the last word.

If Rette didn't know better, she could almost swear that Laxus was jealous of Orga. Why he would be, though, was beyond her. After all, she had no interest in Orga and it wasn't like she was dating Laxus. He had no reason to be jealous. Or possessive for that matter.

One corner of Rette's mouth twisted slightly as she thought this over. He had helped her, and she **had** just thought to herself, not moments before he showed up, that she would rather take a date with Laxus just to get away from Orga. Not to mention that Laxus had been asking for a long time.

It wouldn't hurt to reward his persistence.

Right?

Just this once.

"Fine."

Laxus' grin faltered for a moment, his eyes widening in surprise. Had he just heard her right? Had she really just agreed? As he stared at her, he could have sworn her cheeks turned a little red.

"What's with that look?" she asked.

"You actually agreed." he replied.

"Well, why not? It's not like you're going to quit asking until I agree. And it's just one date. What could it possible cost me?" Rette said.

"Your heart." Laxus replied, draping an arm around her shoulders.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. It's one date and I'm hard to impress." Rette retorted, shrugging his arm off.

Laxus had no doubt about that. He had found it hard enough just to get back in her good graces since his monster size screw up. Instead of replying to that, he offered her his arm. Rette raised an eyebrow at him before slipping past him.

"Yeah, not happening." she told him.

Laxus shrugged his shoulders and fell into step along side her. His eyes drifted down to Thyme, who was currently giving him a hard stare. It reminded him of what Thyme had done when she had awoken to find that Rette had ended up in bed with him. At this range, he didn't think Rette could stop the exceed if she decided to launch herself at him, spitting and hissing.

"Uh, shouldn't we talk about the third wheel here?" Laxus remarked.

Rette looked up at him and then at Thyme. She reached up and pet the cat's head, but Thyme didn't break eye contact with Laxus.

"She's trying to decide if you're being serious about a relationship with me. That'll decide whether she stays or goes." Rette told him.

Thyme continued to stare at Laxus, Laxus meeting her gaze. He had a feeling that if he looked away now, it would be to put him low in Thyme's eyes. He leaned back when Thyme used her wings to lift herself into the air, allowing her to stare him straight in the face. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Rette raise a hand to hide the bottom part of her face. She was probably laughing at him and was trying to hide it.

Suddenly, Thyme gave a curt nod of her head. She turned to Rette and pat her on top of the head before taking the shopping bags from Rette. With that, she turned and flew away, leaving the two of them alone. Laxus stared after her, wondering if this meant that Thyme was okay with him.

"Believe me or not, but Thyme knows how hard you've been trying to redeem yourself after that little incident with you trying to take over Fairy Tail."

Rette's comment made him look down at her as she propped both fists on her hips. Her eyes were staring after Thyme though, a tiny smile starting to curl her lips up at the corners.

"As for me...I've had seven years to put a lot of stuff behind me. I just can't hold grudges like I use to. Except with Minerva. She's a special case." Rette remarked before looking up at him. "So...where are we going for this little date?"

Laxus smiled at her. He was grateful for the chance and more so for the fact that she was one of the few that hadn't held what he did against him. She could say what she wanted and act like she had held a grudge at least for a short while, but he knew better. She had never had a grudge against him to begin with.

"How about we start with an early dinner?" he suggested.

A low growling from Rette's stomach had her pressing a hand to bare stomach with a deadpan kind of look on her face. Laxus fought not to grin at her in amusment.

"My stomach agrees that that would be a fantastic idea." Rette replied.

Laxus nodded and turned to lead the way. He knew a great place that had the best food and a beautiful view of the flower covered city. With the sun starting to set in the distance, it would be an even lovelier view. Laxus lead the way. They got a few strange looks when they reached the restaurant. Laxus was sure it was because of Rette's lack of true clothing. The barely there shorts and the cropped off, halter top, was enough to make every man in the place, turn to stare at her.

When they were seated at a table on the balcony, Laxus took off his coat and draped it around Rette's shoulders. Rette's eyes flickered to the coat before turning to him as he took a seat across from her. One eyebrow rocketed up as she stared at him in questioning.

"Every man here is staring at you." he replied gruffly, shooting a glare at two men a few tables away from them.

Both men jolted and quickly fixed their eyes on their food. Rette glanced over her shoulder at the hastily eating pair before her eyes shifted to several others who were glancing in her direction. The moment Rette looked at them, everyone turned back to their food. Shrugging, Rette turned to the menu that had been laid before.

"Men stare. No matter where I go, they stare. I stopped caring a long time ago." Rette replied.

"It's your clothes." Laxus told her.

"I don't see you complaining when you stare at me." Rette retorted.

Laxus had no come back for that. He did stare. How could he not? Rette made no effort to try to cover up the gracious body she had been gifted with, but it was more than just that. He stared at Rette, not because of her revealing dress style-though that did play a part-but because it was Rette. He always found his eyes seeking her out whenever he knew she was nearby.

He didn't like all these other men staring at her.

Rette, on the other hand, didn't care. Though he already knew this, it still didn't make him feel any better about it. A waitress took their order and once she was gone, Laxus leaned back in his seat, looking across the table at Rette as she stared out over the city.

"Why do you wear little to nothing?" Laxus asked sudden.

"Several reasons. First and foremost being that it's easier to move if I don't have a lot of clothing in my way. In a fight for my life, that can be crucial." Rette replied.

A fight for her life. She had been in plenty of those types of situations. Especially back before the Tenrou team vanished. Her team got her into a lot of those situations.

"And the second?" Laxus asked.

Rette leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms as she thought of how best to phrase what she wanted to say. For a moment, she sat there, thinking, before she finally replied.

"I suppose it could go back to when I was a small child. Growing up with my father, I was lucky to get properly feed, let along properly clothed. My usual outfit was this dirty, torn, and far too small rag that was suppose to be a dress. I didn't have undergarments or shoes, just that dress. There was even times when, just to punish and shame me, my father would lock me in a cold cell with no clothing at all. I guess, after so long of being like that, I'm just use to it. It would weird to dress any other way now. It just...feels weird." Rette said.

He could see how that would shape how she dressed later in life. Though, most people who grew up like that, would choose to dress in the complete opposite manner than how they had dressed in a situation like that. Not Rette though. And now that he thought about it, this could explain why Rette hated to wear underwear. He probably would too if he had never worn it before in his life.

"I know people stare and I can imagine what people must think of me, dressed as I usually dress. I'm pretty sure my state of virtue is called into question quite often, but I value my state of comfort over the opinions of those who don't even know me. If someone is going to form an opinion of me based on how I dress, than it just proves how shallow they are. Just because I dress in so little, doesn't mean I'm a slut or whore, or any of the other names I've been called in my life." Rette said, shrugging as if it were nothing.

She had a point. Appearances could be deceiving. Rette proved that everyday of her life. She appeared cold and heartless, but was probably one of the most caring people he knew. Though she did try to hide it. She was fierce in her devotion to others and no one would guess that by looking at her. And it wasn't just Rette whose appearance didn't line up with her personality. Several people in Fairy Tail were that way.

Laxus included.

"Those in our guild even thought something similar until Biska got pregnant with Asuka and it came to light that I didn't even know where children came from, much less how one was conceived. Laugh at me and I will stab you with this steak knife." Rette said, tapping her knife with one finger with the last sentence.

Laxus held up his hands, showing that he had no plans of laughing at her. While, yes, her appearance didn't match the innocence of her body and mind sexually, he had never doubted it for a second. Rette, to him, just let of an air of innocence, of purity. She was not blind to the ways of the world, but she was innocent to the ways of love and desire. Had closed herself off from it. It was obvious, with Rette at least, that appearance were, indeed, deceiving.

Heaving a sigh, Rette turned to look out over the city, leaning one arm on the arm rest of her chair. The sun was starting to set, casting rays of red and orange over the blooming flowers that coated the city, but Laxus loved the effect it cast on her eyes. It was like looking at jewels that reflected the setting sun's light.

"I'm well aware that, in this world, nothing is as it seems. If a person didn't know my father, they would have met him and would have liked him, admired him even. He was good at hiding his blood lust and twistedness from those he didn't want to see it. It was how he lured my mother in. She didn't know, until it was too late, what he truly was. Me, on the other hand, I knew from birth. Several people are like that. Hell, the whole world is. The saying, "Don't judge a book by it's cover", can't be anymore true. You have to look past what you see to have any inkling of what truly is before you." Rette remarked before turning her eyes to Laxus. "Like with you. I knew, almost from the first time meeting you, that despite what you said and did, you truly cared about Fairy Tail as a whole. You just needed to be reminded of that, yourself."

Laxus felt his face heat up slightly as she stared at him. He remembered her saying something like that after the whole incident had been said and done. She had said that even she could tell his heart wasn't in the fight.

"I might act oblivious, but I'm more aware of what's around me than everyone gives me credit for. I just don't choose to make it known." Rette added idly.

"Is that how you kept the guild going?" Laxus asked.

"That was a group effort. They might credit me with most of the effort, but it took them too. Not that I need any thanks. It my guild. What was I suppose to do? Let it fall into ruin and continue on about my merry way? Sorry, but that's not how I do things."

He could see that being true. Rette, if nothing else, didn't let go of what was hers. Not easily. He wanted to ask her questions, get to know the Rette that she tried so hard to hide, but what could he ask that wouldn't hurt her or anger her? On most dates, this would be the part when he would ask her about her family, where she grew up, if she had any siblings, what she liked about her childhood. Well he already knew those answers.

Her father was an ass, she never knew her mother, and her adopted parents were dragons. She grew up underground and then in a dragon's lair, she had no siblings, and she had hated her childhood.

What could he ask that wouldn't be walking on eggshells with her?

Then it hit him.

There was one thing about her past that she still adored to this day.

Thyme.

"I was wondering...how'd you meet your feline shadow?" Laxus asked.

He watched as her eyes softened. Her head tilted to the side in a fond way as she recalled the memory to mind.

"It had been a year since I had set out after my dragons vanished. I had caught this horribly ridiculous looking bird for my dinner and made a stew out of it. I had gone looking for herbs to add to it when I came across this field that was over run with lavender colored thyme plants. There, nestled in the thyme, was a large egg with grey and black markings over the shell. I was curious about it so, after collecting the thyme I needed, I took it back to my camp with me. A few days later, it hatched and there was Thyme. Small, so instantly trusting. She latched onto me and refused to let go. I decided that if she didn't want to part from me, it wouldn't kill me to bring her with me. After all, I couldn't find any parents. So I named her after the plants that had cushioned her for who knows how long before I came and we're were together from then on." Rette said.

"You didn't question the fact that a flying cat hatched from the egg?" Laxus asked as their food was set before them.

Rette thanked the man before turning back to the conversation at hand. Laxus watched as her shoulders rose and fell in a shrug.

"If you grew up seeing half of the things I did, you wouldn't really have the will to question something like that. After dragon parents it just kind of was a "whatever" moment. I shrugged it off and moved on." Rette replied.

Laxus couldn't ever imagine getting to a point where weird things didn't effect him anymore. Yeah, he had lived with Natsu for a while and Natsu, himself, was weird, but Rette didn't seem to notice it in the least. He supposed that a strange childhood would do that to a person.

Her childhood had certainly not been normal.

Laxus felt like he had gotten to know her just a bit more. More and more, he was finding himself being drawn to her. He wanted to get closer to her, wanted her to feel like she could open up to him, let him see a side of her that no one ever had. Perhaps it was fruitless hoping, but he would hope.

For someone like the woman Rette had become, he would hope.

Unknown to the couple, they were secretly being tailed and watched. At the moment, Natsu, Gray, Erza, Wendy, Gajeel, Juvia, the Thunder Legion, and even Mira and Lisanna, were currently all hiding, peering through bushes at Laxus and Rette as the two talked and ate together. As they watched, Laxus said something that had Rette's eyes widening before she quickly covered her mouth with a hand. She was probably trying to cover a smile or laugh. Seeing that, Laxus grinned and said something else. Rette turned her face from him, burying it in a hand, trying to hide it. From the slight trembling of her shoulders, it was obvious that Rette was fighting laughter.

"She's actually laughing!?" Gray asked in shock.

"Ohh! You can tell they like each other!" Lisanna said happily.

"Anyone else think this is creepy?" Natsu asked.

The boy was watching Laxus and Rette with a weird look on his face. To him, mixing Laxus with his strength and power, with Rette who was just down right scary, was creepy on so many levels.

"What are you saying!? They're perfect for each other!" Freed insisted, Evergreen and Bixlow agreeing.

If asked, the three wouldn't hesitate to tell the others that they had been silently rooting for Laxus and Rette to end up together. Freed, personally, couldn't imagine anyone better for Laxus.

"Never thought I'd see Starrilia take an interest in anyone." Gajeel mumbled.

None of them had thought so. Rette's mind was usually centered around jobs or the guild. Relationships past that of friendship, dating, none of that ever really crossed her mind. They knew she feared trusting another too much to completely open her heart to being loved by another.

"Juvia is so jealous! Juvia wants to go on a date with Gray!" Juvia whined, making Gray give her a weird look.

"I think it's a good thing." Erza remarked, watching Rette and Laxus from where she stood beside Mira.

"Why's that?" Gray asked.

"Rette has done so much for the guild. She's always been there for all of us, even before the incident on Tenrou Island. She's been a steady rock for the rest of us to stand on if we needed it. After everything she's had to indure in her life, she deserves that kind of happiness." Erza remarked.

"And look at her face right now." Mira added.

The others turned back to look up at Rette and Laxus. Though it would go unnoticeable to those who didn't know her, there was a smile on Rette's face. Small it might be, but it had just as much affection and fondness in it that a full blown smile did.

"After all she's done for the guild in the last seven years...I say she deserves this moment." Erza remarked.

The others had to agree. Rette, her whole life, had been unable to see anything but the cold ground beneath her feet because the world had left her so cold. Now, even though their guild was just starting to pull itself back together and things were down once again, she was able to somewhat smile in happiness.

None of them wanted that to be taken from her.

"Now we just have to hope that Laxus doesn't screw it up." Lisanna said jokingly.

This got a round of complaints from Freed, Evergreen, and Bixlow, but they all just laughed it off. Erza turned to look up at Rette while her friends laughed and talked. Despite his past actions, Erza was sure that Laxus would do whatever he could to please Rette. She could see it in the way Laxus watched Rette. He wanted her to be happy just as much as the rest of them. Maybe more.

Tomorrow, Rette would enter the palace with Natsu and his team while Laxus would charge into the final challenge of the Games with Erza, Juvia, Gray, and Gajeel. This was their peaceful moment together before they went into their respective battles. Deciding to leave them to their moment, Erza ushered the others back to their lodgings.

Let Rette have a moment of peace and relaxation before she had to fight again.

It was the least they could give her.

-0-0-0-0-

"Ready for tomorrow?"

Rette, stretching her arms over her head after a long work out, turned her head to look at Erza. The woman smiled at her, her hands anchored on her hips. Slowly, Rette dropped her arms. Tomorrow, Rette would enter the palace with Natsu, Wendy, Mira, and the exceeds of their guild to find Lucy and bring her back. While Erza and her team brought them victory in the Games, which Rette didn't doubt they would, she would help her team to save Lucy.

"As ready as I can be." Rette replied.

The two of them had just spent the last hour working on swordsmanship after Rette had returned to their lodgings from her "date" with Laxus.

Something she had really enjoyed, much to her surprise.

Erza was happy to see that Rette had really come into her own as a swordswoman. While she still couldn't match up to Erza in power or ability, Rette was now completely capable of defending herself with a sword. She would put any normal swordsman to shame. If ever she found herself drained of magic energy and in a fight, Rette could handle it with a sword, no problem.

"You'll do just fine, Rette." Erza assured her.

"You'll have to forgive me if I believe you a little bit bias, Erza. We are, after all, friends, almost like sisters." Rette replied.

While Erza could be a little bias since Rette was one of her beloved teammates, she hadn't been lying. Rette was just too quick to put herself down, even seven years after coming to Fairy Tail. Laying a hand on Rette's shoulder, Erza gave her a smile.

"I'm not being biased, Rette. You may have not been able to stop them from taking Lucy, but you don't realize what you do when you lose, do you?" Erza asked.

"What are you talking about?" Rette asked, confused.

"You have a habit, Rette, when you lose, of coming back with three times the determination and an extra boost to your punch. You are a bit of a sore loser. Even seven years apart and I can tell that hasn't changed. Not to mention, you aren't one to stand back when a member of our guild is being threatened in any way." Erza told her.

Rette wasn't quite sure how to feel about being called a sore loser. It was usually a bad thing, but she knew Erza was right about one thing...whenever she lost a fight, she usually came back swinging with three times the determination to win. She never lost a fight to the same person twice. And she knew for sure that Erza was correct about her last statement. Rette didn't take others threatening what was hers too well.

"Perhaps you have a point. I can be horribly vindictive." Rette remarked, admitting to this little flaw of hers.

"That you can be. It's not always necessarily a bad thing." Erza replied.

"Yeah...you might be right." Rette remarked idly.

"You'll do great. I've yet to see you let us down when it really matters." Erza told her, giving her shoulder a pat once more.

"No pressure right?" Rette replied back sarcastically.

Erza just smiled at her. She knew that whatever Rette might say, she would come through in the end. Rette really hated being a disappointment to the guild, even if she did act like she didn't care in the slightest.

"So..."

Rette turned to Erza, blinking when she saw the child-like grin and knowing look on Erza's face. She didn't like the feeling that look gave her.

"How was your date with Laxus?" Erza asked.

Rette knew she felt like someone was watching her. Now she had an answer as to who. Or at least...one of those who had been watching her. Rette was pretty sure Erza hadn't been alone in her little spying moment. Thyme had probably told the others about the "date".

"I'm done here." Rette remarked, turning to walk away from Erza.

"Rette! I just wanted to know if you had fun!" Erza called after her.

"I'm not talking about this." Rette replied.

Rette ignored Erza as she walked away, refusing to answer any questions.

Tomorrow would be the final day of the Games, but they had more at stake than just winning the games. While Erza, Juvia, Gajeel, Laxus, and Gray appeared in the Games and fought with all the other teams, Rette, Mira, Wendy, Natsu, and the exceeds would be breaking into the palace to free Lucy. Rette had to do her part for them to secure Lucy's safety on their end. She didn't have time to waver.

So tomorrow she would head into the palace with her mind focused solely on rescuing Lucy.

That was all there was to it.

END

Kyandi: Hehe...I couldn't help but do a little date moment.

Rette: Well, he does ask a lot, so...

Kyandi: No need to be embarrassed!

Rette: I am not!

Kyandi: Oh, sure you are! He is a good looking man.

Rette: Shut it!

Kyandi: Hehe! Well, we best move on before she brusts a blood vessel or something.

Rette:...grrrr...

Kyandi: So, everyone please enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll return soon.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	18. Final DayInto Hell Palace

Kyandi: Hello all! I have returned with a new chapter.

Rette: We apologize for taking so long.

Kyandi: Yeah, this chapter ended up on the long side.

Rette: Not to mention that she had to keep switching between the time lines as she read along with the manga.

Kyandi: Yeah, but it's worth it.

Rette: I suppose.

Kyandi: Though, as I was editing this chapter, I started realizing that Rette might have a little bit of an anger issue.

All Fairy Tail members: **A LITTLE BIT!?**

Kyandi: Okay, so it's a big problem.

Rette: I don't see any issue.

Kyandi: You wouldn't. Everyone, please review and enjoy.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairt Tail.

Chapter 18 Final Day...Into Hell Palace

"At last! At last it's here! The last day of the Grand Magic Games, the wizards' passionate festival! No matter whether you're happy or sad, today the winner guild will be decided!"

The last day of the Grand Magic Games dawned with loud cheers and fireworks being shot into the air. This day found Rette, not among her guild mates cheering for her guild's team, but running along side Natsu and his team as they headed for the castle to rescue Lucy. As the fireworks faded in the sky, Mira peered in the direction of the arena.

"It looks like the last fight is about to start." Mira remarked.

"Good, this is the perfect time!" Natsu replied.

"But how can we enter the castle without being noticed?" Wendy asked.

"I would think us, as a group, would be instantly noticeable. After all, we have four flying cats with us and everyone knows Natsu on sight." Rette remarked.

"What about you!?" Natsu retorted.

"Of course I'm recognized on sight. I am the only mage of my kind in existence. But I can my appearance. You can't." Rette told him.

Seeing her point, Natsu fell quiet.

"I have an idea." Happy said.

"It's probably something stupid." Carla retorted.

"Yeah." Lily agreed, Thyme nodding.

Happy insisted that the idea was a good one and ended up dressing up Mira, Natsu, and Wendy in ridiculous costumes that would only make them stand out all the more. Rette refused to be talked into the costume that Happy found for her.

"It's okay, Rette and I thought about it." Mira told them.

"Nice, Mira! Rette!" Natsu said.

Rette shrugged her shoulders. It was just a little idea that had popped up when she and Mira had been talking early that morning. It wasn't the most complex of plans, but sometimes the most simple of plans, was what worked the best.

"We'll do our best to save Lucy. I wish good luck to Erza and the others too." Wendy remarked, glancing back towards the arena.

"I don't think we have to worry about them, Wendy. They're a capable bunch." Rette remarked.

"Since when did you become the positive one?" Mira teased. "What happened to that refreshing, pessimistic outlook?"

"I don't know about refreshing, but I still have the same outlook. I'm just being reasonable. Since when have you known our guild mates to lose when a family member is on the line?" Rette replied.

"You have a point." Mira agreed.

No one in Fairy Tail would give up as long as one of their own was in danger. So until they had rescued Lucy and won the Games, neither team would give or bend in the slightest.

Going with the plan that Mira and Rette had discussed, they obtained the uniforms of two guards, Mira using transformation magic while Rette used the same Crystallization magic that she used in her Crystal Mimicry spell to change the appearance of her face. Once they had changed into the uniforms, they each hid two exceeds inside the uniform with them and tied up Natsu and Wendy, as if they were prisoners. If they were right, it should be enough to get them into the castle dungeons.

Walking with the two in tow, Mira and Rette approached the guards at the dungeon doors.

"Who are they?" one guard asked.

"Invaders. They came here to save the fairy girl." Mira said, her voice magically made gruff.

"People from Fairy Tail!?" the second guard asked. "What do we do?"

"Uhm...Both his majesty and the minister are away. Let's throw them in a cell." the first guard said.

"Okay." Mira replied, turning to lead the way.

"Hey, the prison is there." one of the guards said.

"Ah sorry, we were sent here recently." Mira improvised.

Following their instructions, Mira and Rette lead Natsu and Wendy away. When they were out of sight of the guards, Mira and Rette transformed back, opening their uniforms to let the exceeds out.

"You two were brilliant!" Wendy told Mira and Rette.

"It was nothing." Rette remarked, all too happy to slip out of her uniform and ditch it.

Once the uniforms were ditched, they hurried about locating Lucy and Yukino. It didn't take them long because, thankfully, they were in the same cell. Both were asleep.

"Lucy...Lucy!" Natsu hissed.

Lucy woke up, jolting up in the bunk where she had been laying.

"Natsu! And Wendy, Rette, and Mira." Lucy gasped lowly.

Natsu reached through the bar, clamping a hand over her mouth, shushing her. After all the trouble they had gone through, it wouldn't do to get caught now.

"We came too!" Happy said, drawing Lucy's attention to the four exceeds.

"Natsu," Rette said, turning to him. "Get these bars open."

Natsu happily obliged her, using his strength and flames to bend the bars out of shape. It left a hole in the bars just big enough for Lucy and Yukino to slip through.

"I brought a change of clothes. For Yukino as well." Mira said, pulling the clothes out of a bag.

"Thanks, everyone." Lucy said, taking the clothes.

Yukino declined the ones brought for her. Rette and Yukino used one of the sheets from the cell to create a screen behind which, Lucy could change.

"Now how to escape." Carla remarked.

"If possible it would be nice to get out without being sen." Lily agreed.

"Wait, they've still got my keys I have to find them." Lucy said from behind the screen.

"It shouldn't be too hard for Rette to locate them." Mira remarked.

"I can give it a t..."

Rette cut off, her stomach suddenly feeling like it had just migrated up into her throat. The reason being...the floor suddenly feel open under their feet, sending them tumbling down into a pit beyond. Just before she hit the ground far below, Rette cast her Sun Wings spell, saving herself from the pile up of bodies that the others landed in. Poor Natsu had ended up on the bottom, a place Rette had been in before and didn't care to repeat.

"Where are we?" Natsu asked.

"Welcome to Hell Palace."

A voice suddenly rang out through the place, probably coming from hidden speakers. Rette helped Lucy and Yukino to their feet, looking around to try to locate those speakers.

"You fell in the trap perfectly. Look around you. This is the City of Death, Hell Palace. The last bit of freedom allowed to criminals." the voice added.

"Freedom? You have a seriously messed up view of what freedom is." Rette called out.

Either the woman speaking didn't hear her or didn't care to address the comment. An image of the woman appeared above them, projected with magic.

"However, no one ever gets out of here. You can rot here. Thieves." she retorted before her image vanished.

"Who's she!?" Natsu asked.

"The princess of this castle." Yukino replied.

"That sounds about right." Rette muttered with a sigh.

"Shiiit! Where's the damn exit!?" Natsu asked.

Rette heaved a sigh, looking up towards the ceiling, where they had fallen from.

"I'll check for any sign of a way back out." Rette told them.

With that, she took off, only the light of her wings giving away where she was far above their heads. The exceeds joined her in searching but no matter where she looked, Rette couldn't find a way back out.

"Natsu, the ceiling is completely closed too." Happy called down as they neared the ground.

"We didn't see any exit." Carla added.

"I'm at a loss too." Rette agreed, landing next to Mira.

"After we came this far!" Natsu growled.

"We came here to get them and they got us." Mira remarked.

"I repeat...Sounds about right." Rette remarked.

It always seemed to be that way when she was teamed up with Natsu. They would make a good plan, everything would seem to be going good, and then everything would flop on it's head and they would have to scramble to figure out how to right it. In seven years of absence, that hadn't changed.

"By the way Natsu, the tournament?" Lucy asked.

"Juvia went in my place." Natsu told her.

"He absolutely wanted to come to save you." Happy told her.

"Well..."

Natsu trailed off as Lucy's cheeks turned red and she turned away from him, her hands cupping her face. There was a ridiculously large smile on her face.

"Wah, you make me blush." Lucy remarked.

"There's no reason you should. You know how Natsu is with the members of the guild." Rette told her.

Lucy deflated with Rette's words. Leave it to Rette to put a damper on her mood. Natsu ignored the conversation and turned to Yukino.

"I didn't forget about you." Natsu told her.

"I'm fine." Yukino said lowly.

Mira came up behind Yukino, resting her hands on her shoulders.

"Doesn't this girl resemble Lisanna?" Mira asked.

"I thought so from the beginning." Rette answered.

"Now that you say it." Lucy agreed.

"Who is Miss Lisanna?" Yukino asked.

"My little sister." Mira said.

Yukino blushed at that. Rette tilted her head, staring at Yukino. She had thought so from the first time she looked at her, but the resemblance between Yukino and Lisanna was uncanny.

"You really do look like our sister." Rette remarked.

Yukino turned wide eyes from Rette to a smiling Mira and back again. It was obvious that she was trying to find some kind of similar trait between the two that would mark them as siblings.

"You're sisters!?" she asked.

"Somewhat. Legally speaking we are." Rette remarked.

"You see, my brother, sister, and I adopted Rette into our family." Mira explained to Yukino.

"I may not look the same, or have an actual blood relation, and my surname might be different, but they are my siblings, through and through." Rette said.

Mira smiled, wrapping her arms around Rette's neck to hug her. Rette, having missed her hugs for seven years, happily accepted the hug, returning it with one of her own. Yukino looked between them. They didn't look alike, but it was so clear that they loved each other like siblings.

Carla and Thyme reappeared then, having been off searching for a way out.

"Hey! There's a passage here!" Carla called, Thyme waving a paw.

They followed the two exceeds back to the passage they had found. It was little more than a narrow crack in the wall just tall enough for a human. Rette stared at the opening as she reached up to pat her breasts, her hands then moving down her body to her hips and back side.

"This is going to be a **very** tight squeeze." Rette remarked.

Lucy, Mira, and Yukino agreed, all three reaching up to pat their own chests. At a time like this, Rette really wished she was as flat as Wendy. It might have really helped if she was. Wendy, as the smallest, went first, Rette following with Lucy Yukino, Natsu, and lastly Mira, behind her. Rette tried sucking in her breath, but it did little to help her. If it wasn't her chest impeding her advancement, it was her backside.

It was probably the first time in her life that she cursed her womanly figure.

Wendy finally popped free ahead of Rette.

"There's someone!" she called back.

"Move, I'm coming out." Rette called.

Wendy turned, taking hold of Rette's hand when it appeared and pulled, helping her out of the tight passageway. Rette popped free and took a breath. Rette looked around, spotting who it was that Wendy had seen. The others spotted him as they each came out of the passage.

"It's Arcadios." Rette said.

Natsu crouched down next to the man, checking to see if he was alright or not. He looked badly beaten up, his clothes torn.

"Hey! Are you okay? Wake up" Natsu said, trying to rouse Arcadios.

"Was he thrown here like us?" Lucy asked.

"More than likely." Rette replied, dropping to one knee on the other side of Arcadios from Natsu.

A groan from Arcadios made them all turn back to the man as he awoke. His eyes opened and his teeth grit in pain. Only two words came out of his mouth.

"Run...away..."

A sudden appearance of magic on her magical radar, had Rette's head flying up as a huge figure rose up behind her friends opposite of her. Rette flew to her feet.

"Behind you!" she yelled.

Her friends scattered when she yelled. They barely missed the punch from the large man that had appeared. Behind him came another man wielding a flag of all things. He went after Wendy, though his water based attack hit them all. Rette launched herself into the air, her favored winged spell taking over to let her hover there.

Almost instantly after the water attack, plants began to sprout from the rocky ground, a girl appearing from flower. Seconds later, colored papers swarmed the area, another woman stepping out of them. The last to join the group was a man in a hood and mask with strange axes strapped to his back.

"Who are they?" Rette questioned.

"It's a independent unit that supports the kingdom from the shadows. The strongest executors of the kingdom. The Order of the Hungry Wolves." Arcadios answered.

Great. Just what they needed. More people to stand in their way. Rette landed next to her friends, all of them facing these new threats.

"It's because they are here that it's impossible to escape Hell Palace." Arcadios told them.

Rette glanced down at Arcadios, but quickly turned her eyes back to the leader of this group as he stared at them.

"With the special rights conferred on us, Order of the Hungry Wolves, independent unit of Fiore, we are going to execute the criminals." he proclaimed.

Rette knew in that moment...the shit was about to hit the fan.

Natsu suddenly laughing like the idiot he was most of the time, had them all looking at him.

"Natsu, consider the situation!" Lucy told him.

"But look at them, are they supposed to be a knight order!? Especially you!" Natsu said, pointing at the man with the flag, still laughing.

"Shut the hell up, already." Rette said, hauling off and smacking Natsu over the back of the head with one fist.

The hit was hard enough that Natsu dropped into a crouch, holding the back of his head. Rette could handle his laughing under normal circumstances, but this wasn't a normal circumstance and it was only serving to annoy her.

"Don't let their appearance deceive you. The magic they use is created to kill people." Arcadios told them.

"Perfect!" Natsu yelled, jumping back to his feet. "The exit came straight to us!"

"Yes, it's a good opportunity to have them show us the exit." Mira agreed.

"Agreed. Let's all have a nice little "chat", shall we?" Rette remarked, popping one finger at a time.

"Lucy and Yukino have no keys, right? Please stay back." Wendy insisted.

Lily also changed shape, gearing up for the fight at hand. Thyme silently cheered him on, both paws raised in the air. To Arcadios they probably looked like idiots, going into this fight, but they were simply doing what they had to to survive and escape.

"You don't fear the Order of the Hungry Wolves...ignorant sinners, you are." the leader remarked.

"Yeah, well...I'd rather be a sinner than an idiot who is about to, one way or the other, eat dirt." Rette retorted. "In case you didn't catch the hint...the idiot would be you."

The two women, Cosmos and Kamika, stepped forward, Kamika wielding strange colored paper. Rette didn't like the feeling of the red paper she released from her hold.

"Paper Storm. Red Dance!"

"I'll just burn that down!" Natsu declared, his flames flaring out at the paper.

The paper though, simply sliced right through the flames. Rette knew she didn't like the feeling of the paper.

"It's not burning!?" Lucy asked.

"Red paper is the God of Flames." Kamika told them.

Wendy stepped up then, unleashing her Roar on the papers, ripping them apart. Carla called her approval with a thumbs up. Cosmos stepped forth then, bringing to life a large plant that tried to swallow her whole. Mira, having transformed, completely ripped apart the plant, freeing Wendy. Vines snaked around them, going for Lucy and Yukino who were defenseless at the time. Lily, with his sword, cut them down, only to be confronted by the large man.

"Paper Storm. Purple Dance."

Again with the mother trucking paper!

The purple colored paper twisted around them, attaching to their bodies and paralyzing them. Rette tried to move, but her body wasn't wanting to respond. Natsu and Lucy screaming at the ceiling, made Rette look up.

"Oh...my gods..." Rette muttered staring up at the huge flower that had opened up over their heads.

As if the center of the flower was a vaccum, everything started getting sucked into it. Rette didn't like this. As she was lifted off her feet, her eyes flicked around searching for anything to use. Until they landed on Wendy.

"Wendy! Don't you have a spell to get rid of the paralyzation?" Rette asked.

Wendy's face lit up and she hurried to cast the spell. The papers were forced to release them, granting them their freedom of movement once more.

"I can move." Natsu cheered.

"But what are you gonna do with that!?" Lucy demanded, gesturing to the flower.

"Rette! Can't you suck the thing up into one of your crystals?!" Natsu demanded.

"It's a summons, Natsu. I can't use my Conductor Crystal on it. Don't you think I would have by now if I could? I'm not exactly fond of this position we're in." Rette replied.

Natsu grit his teeth. He had been hoping that Rette could use her Conductor Crystal on it, but if she couldn't then she couldn't. There was nothing she could about that.

"Fine! We'll destroy it!" Natsu declared.

"Okay!" Mira agreed.

"Count me with you." Rette added in, already mixing her magic together.

The moment the flower sucked them completely in, they all let loose their attacks. The resulting explosion sent them flying apart, busting through walls and falling through floors. In the moment before the explosion blew them away, Rette felt someone latch onto her belt tightly.

Mira landed with a hard thud, finding herself with Kamika. Instead of paying attention to the other woman, she turned searching her surroundings, hoping to locate one of her friends.

"Rette! Lucy! Yukino! Where are you!?" she called.

"You know, I feel like I only end up in situations like this when I'm around Natsu."

Mira, relieved and thrilled, spun on the spot. Rette had ended up landing on her back among a pile of rubble, her rear and legs ending up above her head. She had a blank look on her face as she laid there, though Mira got the impression that Rette was not amused with her situation. She was just glad to see Rette in one piece. She had grabbed Rette's belt before the explosion by just moments before she landed, she had lost her grip on the belt. She had been sure Rette would end up somewhere eles. That she hadn't, made Mira happy. Mira rushed to Rette's side, helping her to her feet.

"You shouldn't look away, you know." Kamika said.

"I think the others landed up somewhere else." Rette remarked, ignoring Kamika.

"You might be right." Mira replied.

"Are you listening to me!?"

The two turned to look at Kamika when she snapped this. The two stared at her, Rette blinking like she had just noticed she was there.

"Oh...you were here?" Rette asked blandly.

"Yes, I was!" Kamika replied.

Taking a deep breath in, Kamika calmed herself. Getting worked up wouldn't do anything. Rette, on the other hand, wasn't really concerned about Kamika. She turned to look at Mira.

"Together or one-on-one?" Rette asked.

"How about fight and support?" Mira suggested.

Kamika looked between the two. It was obvious that they were probably talking about fighting her. Rette nodded to Mira's suggestion, holding out a fist. Kamika stared at the two, a sweat drop falling down the side of her face, as the two started a round of Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who would take what role. The first two times ended in a tie, but the third round ended with Rette throwing rock and Mira throwing paper, meaning Mira was the winning.

Rette heaved a sigh, her hands going to her hips as Mira smiled at her.

"You always use to win before you left. In seven years, it seems your luck hasn't changed." Rette remarked.

"Or maybe I just know you that well." Mira suggested.

"If you think so, then gods that's a frightening thought. Alright, let's do this." Rette said, turning to face Kamika.

"Now you decide to face me?" Kamika said, pulling out another piece of paper.

Rette and Mira braced themselves as she threw the paper into the air.

"Paper Storm. Green Dance."

Rette wasn't really all that excited to find out what the green paper did. The paper flew around them, releasing some kind of gas into the air. Rette instantly covered her mouth and nose, Mira doing the same.

"Green paper is the God of Poison." Kamika told them.

It was official...these people really were trying to kill them.

Despite covering her mouth and nose, Rette couldn't avoid breathing in the poison and neither could Mira.

"You look in pain. Why don't you both just die?" Kamika asked.

Rette, by this point, fell to her knees, one hand still pressed to her mouth and nose, the other gripping at the front of her top, tightly. Her body was shaking, as if she was in pain.

"Rette?" Mira questioned.

Rette only curled further in on herself. Spasms and pain were shooting through her body sharply, making it even harder for Rette to breath. She knew it was another fit, probably triggered by the poison. Now was the worst time to be having one. The only thing that soothed her at all, was Mira's comforting touch as she laid a hand on Rette's shoulder.

Through that touch, Mira could feel the spasms, but she simply thought it was an side-effect of the poison. She was oblivious to the truth that it was something much worse. Slowly, the spasms faded and Rette drew still, her body shaking slightly.

"Magic is not meant to be used to kill people. But without power we can't even protect the ones we love. It's a bit of a contradiction." Mira remarked, giving Rette's shoulder a squeeze.

"What are you saying?" Kamika asked.

"You only made one big mistake. You know...when I'm in a tournament...or my friends are close to me...In other words, when someone is looking, I tend to restrain my power. Maybe it's an issue caused by that contradiction. Though, with Rette at my side, I don't have to worry about that. She understands better than anyone, allows me to be myself. At my worst as well as at my best. So when I'm alone, or with Rette, that's when I can release my full power." Mira said.

As if that was a cue, both Rette and Mira transformed into their primary Devil Soul forms, both sucking in the poison with no trouble. The change in form actually managed to make Rette feel better, the fit fading. Kamika broke out into a sweat as she was confronted with the two demon-like forms.

"No way. They sucked in the poison." Kamika said shakily.

"Poison? For demons, that's a treat. Right, Rette?" Mira remarked.

"Most definitely." Rette replied, her long tail whipping back in forth. "You knights made a huge mistake with all of us, for you see, to protect our guild, we're ready to go against the kingdom, and even the whole world. That's what it means to be a fairy of Fairy Tail. I, for one, become horribly vexed when people mess with what's mine. And you're doing just that."

The dark feeling rolling off Rette, had Kamika backing away in fear. Mira and Rette didn't let her get far, the two taking her down as one. They sent Kamika flying through a wall. Stepping through the hole they had made in the wall, already transforming back to their normal forms, they found the others standing over the pile of the knights who had all been soundly beaten.

Natsu stood over the fallen mages, cracking his knuckles as he looked down on them with a look that Rette could only describe as sinister.

"Well. Now tell us the exit, or we'll execute you." Natsu threatened.

It didn't take much from Natsu to get them to tell him how to get out. From there, it was just a matter of getting through the maze that was Hell Palace. All while carting around an injured and unconscious Arcadios.

"Is this really the right way?" Natsu asked after a while.

"By the way, how did you come here, Loki?" Mira asked, looking at the spirit who had joined Lucy sometime during her fight with one of the knights.

"I just jumped down." Loki replied.

"You should have thought about how to get out too." Wendy said.

"That should have been the first thought in his head if he really wanted to be of help to Lucy." Rette retorted.

"Seven years and you're still cold, Rette?" Loki asked.

"Seven years and you're still a womanizing spirit." Rette retorted.

Loki couldn't deny that.

"Anyway, is he alright?" Rette said, gesturing to Arcadios.

"Well, in a way he is." Loki replied.

"It's actually surprising that he survived the lava." Happy remarked.

"It's probably thanks to the jade he's wearing." Retter remarked idly. "I once read somewhere that they're powerful talismans."

"Jade...That dragon! The jade dragon Zirconis." Wendy chimed in.

"Now that I think about it, the princess is called "Hisui" too." Yukino remarked.

"Huh...a lot of jades to go around, it seems." Rette mused.

"Arcadios told us to meet the princess after getting out of here." Lucy informed them.

"He also said that we should decide ourselves whether Eclipse is correct or not...didn't he." Carla said.

"But the princess herself threw us here!" Natsu snapped.

"I have a bad feeling that a lot of things aren't exactly adding up." Rette mused.

"What do you think it is, Rette?" Mira asked.

"I don't know, but I don't like it. There's something fishy about this whole thing." Rette replied.

Ahead of the, the door out of Hell Palace, appeared. Natsu took off running for the door, but when it suddenly opened, he tried to put on the breaks and went rolling, head over end, until he came to a stop at the feet of the person who had opened the door. Rette froze in her tracks. While the person was wearing a hood, hiding their face from them, Rette knew the magic she felt from this person.

But it wasn't possible.

Rette's eyes went from her friends to the person, trying to puzzle this out and finding herself unable to do so. Natsu, on the other hand, looked up at the person.

"Who are you?" he asked.

They watched as tears suddenly started streaming down the person's face and they started to sob, apologizing as they did. All of them knew that voice. They watched as the figure pulled the hood back from her head, revealing herself to be...Lucy.

" **EEEEHH!?** "

The shock spread through them, everyone shocked. Everyone except Rette, who had recognized the magic the moment it drew close to her.

"Another Lucy..." Mira gasped.

"H-how can it be?" Wendy asked.

"It's not Gemini, is it?" Yukino asked.

"And it's not even Edolas?" Happy questioned.

"No...that's Lucy." Rette remarked. "No one else has magic that feels like Lucy's to me."

"I believe you already know about Eclipse, the gate that allows time traveling." the second Lucy said.

"So you came from the future." Rette said, instantly understanding what she meant.

She nodded. This was going to be so confusing, Rette just knew it.

"This country...will soon..."

Future Lucy couldn't get her sentence out before she collapsed. Rette darted forward, just barely catching her before she could hit the ground. The others crowded around to see if she was alright.

"I think she just fainted from exhaustion." Rette told them.

Lucy stared down at her future counterpart as Rette checked her pulse to make sure she was fine. She still couldn't believe her eyes and had to wonder how Rette looked so calm. Thing was, while she had initially been shocked, when one grew up as Rette did...little really knocked her for a loop anymore.

"It's creepy. Why me?" Lucy muttered.

"No idea, Lucy, but we'll figure it out." Rette promised her, handing off Future Lucy to Natsu, who threw her over his shoulder.

"Anyway, we can't leave her here. Let's take this Lucy too." Natsu said.

"He has a point. Let's focus on getting out of the castle and shooting the signal flare to let the others know we've rescued Lucy." Rette said, standing up.

"Yeah...though we didn't expect to end up with two Lucys." Wendy remarked.

"Sometimes things don't play out how we want them to. After almost eight years in this guild, I've learned not to question anything anymore." Rette replied.

It was a good policy considering how screwed up things could be in their guild. Not to mention the amount of trouble they seemed to attract almost everyday. With that said, they hurried on about getting out of the castle, but somewhere along the way...they got lost. The castle was just too big.

"I didn't think we would get lost." Loki remarked.

"This is a problem." Mira agreed, a smile on her face.

"Okay, now try saying that without the smile on your face." Rette told her, only making the smile grow.

"I don't really know a lot about Mr. Castle's structure..." Yukino remarked.

"Mr. Castle?" Wendy and Rette repeated.

"We're suppose to escape as soon as possible to inform everyone." Lily remarked.

"To be faster, let's just clash with the soldiers." Natsu suggested.

"You're just itching for another fight." Rette said.

"Besides, we have wounded people." Carla added in agreement.

"But with so many of us, we might still succeed." Happy piped in.

"That's not the only issue...our guild is currently fighting in the Grand Magic Games. It's a tournament sponsored by the king. We should try not to leave a bad impression." Mira said.

"We broke in, broke out two prisoners, and then beat their executors to a pulp...I think we're already past that point, Mira." Rette replied.

As it was, they would be lucky to get out of the castle without landing their whole guild in prison for everything they had already done. She was just thinking over this when Future Lucy came to.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"It looks like the castle's dinning hall." Rette answered.

"So we're still...inside the castle..." Future Lucy remarked, pressing her left hand to her head.

"Does your head hurt?" Rette asked, crouching next to her.

"No. According to my memory...after we escape from Hell Palace, we all...get captured again by the royal army. That's why we must let them know first." Future Lucy said.

"Is that what actually happened to Future Lucy?" Lily asked.

"What are you saying? They can't possibly catch us." Natsu scoffed.

"Indeed. It doesn't look like we could lose." Mira agreed.

"While escaping, we happen across Eclipse. Because of that we're unable to use magic and they catch us." Future Lucy said.

"How dumb." Natsu retorted.

"We were just unlucky. We stayed in jail...that time." Future Lucy replied.

"That time?" Happy asked.

Future Lucy didn't say anything else. She simply stared at her lap, looking like she was going to be sick. Her face even drained of color.

"Uhm...Why did you come back from the future, Lucy?" Wendy asked.

"To change the worst future." Future Lucy said, pushing herself to her feet.

Rette took hold of her left elbow, helping her to her feet. From the shaking of her legs, it was easy to tell that she was still weak and could probably use a lot more rest.

"The worst future?" Natsu repeated.

"What happened in the future you know?" Yukino asked.

The words that left Future Lucy's mouth had Rette's stomach dropping. None of them could believe what she had just said.

"Wha...t...is... **THAT!?** " Natsu asked, roaring the last part loudly.

"You're loud." Lily remarked.

"He's justified. I want to yell too." Rette remarked. "Over ten thousand dragons...the mere though is terrifying."

"Could it be somehow connected to that graveyard?" Wendy asked.

"I wonder." Carla mused.

"I don't know." Rette said, her mind already ticking away on any way they could combat that many dragons.

"Anyway, we can't just stay here! Let's get ready!" Natsu declared.

"Do you want to fight!?" Lucy asked in disbelief.

"I think that's impossible." Happy agreed.

"Well, we might not have a choice." Rette told them. "Besides, we've made the impossible, possible, before. We'll just have to do it again."

Future Lucy looked around at them, surprised that all of them didn't question such a ridiculous thing as ten thousand dragons destroying their country.

"Will everyone...believe us?" Future Lucy asked.

"Is it a lie?" Natsu asked.

"No! But I wonder, will the others believe something like this?" Future Lucy asked.

"Why would they doubt Lucy's words?" Natsu asked.

"You're Lucy...of course we'll all believe you. There's no reason for us not to." Rette added.

That put a smile on Future Lucy's face.

"My future self shouldn't be so miserable. You should trust your friends more." Lucy told her future counterpart.

"Are you lecturing yourself? But you're right..." Future Lucy said.

Carla stepped forward then.

"When the dragons arrived...what happened to us in the castle?" Carla asked.

The look on Future Lucy's face was answer enough.

"Do we die!?" Natsu asked.

"Will we die?" Happy asked, scared.

Thyme, scared at what that could mean, crawled into Rette's lap, Rette wrapping her arms around the exceed protectively.

"I don't know how many days passed. But when I woke up...I remembered about Eclipse. I didn't know how to activate it, but somehow I managed to open the gate. I believed that maybe I could come back to the past and well...I'm really back in the past. On the fourth of July of X793." Future Lucy said.

"Wasn't the fourth just a few days ago?" Loki asked.

"Can't you travel earlier than that with Eclipse?" Mira asked.

"I don't know...a part of it was broken maybe it's because of that. There are lacrimas scattered around the city to film the Grand Magic Games. I want you to meet Jellal and the others using an underground passage." Future Lucy told them.

"Jellal?" Natsu asked.

"I told him everything. I think now he should be thinking of a strategy." Future Lucy explained.

"It might help." Rette agreed.

"Sorry...I didn't come from the future with a strategy. I don't know how to prevent that." Future Lucy said. "I'm really sorry...I didn't know what to do here. So far I've been wandering around the town."

"We'll do something about it." Natsu said confidently.

Future Lucy looked up at him as he bent over, laying a hand on her head as he pressed his forehead to hers.

"Thank you. To protect our future... I will definitely change it." Natsu told her.

Future Lucy started crying. She nodded, thankful for Natsu's words. Natsu pulled back, letting her wipe the tears from her eyes. Once she was sure they had stopped she turned to look at Rette.

"Rette," she called, making Rette raise her head to look at her. "There was something I always wanted to ask you since coming back from Tenrou Island and I really wanted to know after all that's happened."

"What is it?" Rette asked.

"How could you do it? How could you stand it, day in and day out, living every day knowing your friends were gone and you might never see them again? Just a few days and I can't stand it. How could you...for seven years?" Future Lucy asked, tears pooling in her eyes once more.

"I didn't."

All eyes turned to look at Rette with her straight face.

"You really think I dove into all the work I did because I wanted to? I did it so I wouldn't lose my mind." Rette said calmly. "I spent everyday of those seven years, feeling like something had ripped my heart from my chest. I couldn't sleep without nightmares plaguing me, night after night. My mind generated so many possibilities as to what happened to all of you, each more gruesome and worse than the last. I couldn't eat without feeling sick to my stomach. I felt like I was going through every day with someone stepping on my windpipe. There were times that the reminders I saw everywhere...made me feel like it would just be better to end it all right there."

Shock filled her friends as they stared at Rette. Thyme, still sitting her lap gripped the front of Rette's top, staring up at her with wide eyes.

Rette had contemplated...taking her own life?

And she admitted as much with a straight face.

"But it was just a thought that popped into my head, gone as quick as it came. I knew I could never do it. I knew I couldn't leave those left behind. It would break their already broken hearts. They needed me. I also knew it would be an insult to those who had supposedly been lost. After all the kindness and love this guild has shown me...I would rather endure the harshest of torture than to repay that with such an insult. There would have been nothing to gain from my own death. Especially such an honorless one. So I endured every day with it feeling like the worst torture this world could supply. Even what my father did to me could never match up to the drowning feeling I felt every day. But a person can endure anything...if its for their loved ones." Rette said.

"Oh Rette..."

Both Lucys got teary eyed, along with Mira, Thyme, and Wendy. Rette looked at all of them before picking up Thyme and setting her aside. She then rose to her feet.

"No need to get teary on me. It's over and done with and everyone is home. No further need for discussion." Rette said.

But that wasn't enough for her friends. Lucy, Mira, Thyme, and Wendy jumped at Rette, all of them hugging her as they sniffled. Rette stood there, bland faced, though she was trying very hard not to blush or show how she was feeling. She blinked, trying to fight away the burning of her eyes.

"If I knew this was what it would get me, I wouldn't have answered the question." Rette muttered, trying to fiegn indifference.

Her friends knew she didn't mean it though. They snuggled her, hugging her tight. Rette allowed it for all of about five seconds before she shook them off.

"Alright, alright. We still have to get out of here." Rette pointed out.

They all agreed, the girls wiping their eyes. They all gathered together and moved out, following Future Lucy as she lead the way through the basement tunnels, a torch in hand.

"How do you know the way?" Natsu asked.

"Because I wanted at least to avoid getting captured by the royal army again." Future Lucy said.

"So you explored the basement." Rette remarked. "Clever."

"We must get out fast to send a signal to the others." Mira remarked.

"They're probably worried about us." Wendy agreed.

Rette pulled up short, the others doing the same, when soldiers suddenly appeared before them, blocking their path forward.

"I didn't expect them to be stationed here." Future Lucy said.

"Don't worry. They can't capture us as long as we have magic." Natsu said.

It was then that they realized that Yukino and Arcadios were missing. Mira insisted on going back for Yukino, despite Wendy's and Lucy's protest. Rette glanced over her shoulder at Mira.

"Best of luck." Rette called.

"You too. Everyone...be careful." Mira replied.

"We'll settle the matters here." Natsu said, Rette and Loki agreeing.

Together, the three started blasting through the soldiers. Though they were out numbered, it was more like fighting off flies to Rette and her friends. When one soldier called for the anti-magic unit to be called, Natsu grabbed the guy by the leg.

"Heads up, Rette!" Natsu yelled.

Without so much a glance back or a moment's hesitation, Rette dropped to the floor, letting Natsu send the poor man flying over her head and into his comrades. Which in turn sent them flying as well. The anti-magic unit arrived then, really annoying Rette when one of them blasted her from the side. Turning on the man, her eyes blazing with her annoyance, Rette blew them away with one powerful Roar of her own.

But they kept coming.

Then, to make matters worse, the executors they had thought they had seen the last of, returned to fight. Rette was seriously about to lose her temper. They were backing her and her friends into a wall. First Wendy was caught by Cosmos' plants and then Lily reached his time limit and had to revert back to his normal, small body. The sheer amount of soldiers was slowly over taking them. Rette and Natsu were succeeding in keeping the five or six foot radius around themselves, clear of soldiers as they fought, but it wouldn't last forever.

"These guys are really starting to vex me." Rette announced as she kicked a man towards Natsu, who slammed his head into the floor.

"Same here!" Natsu snapped.

Yells from men at the back of the flood of soldiers, drew Rette and her friends' attention to them. A shadow was spreading over the floor, swallowing everyone it came in contact with. It sucked down everyone save for Rette and her friends.

"What's going on?" Natsu asked.

Rette peered into the shadow. The magic that reached her...was familiar. There was no denying the magic she felt. The shadows started parting as someone came their way.

"Someone's there! Be careful!" Loki said.

A man with half white and half black hair stepped out of the shadows. Rette knew her feeling to be correct the moment she laid eyes on him.

"Who are you?" Natsu asked.

"Are the shadows reaching out to the past or the future? Or to people's heart? How nostalgic, Natsu Dragneel and Rette Starrilia." he said, looking upon them.

"I knew it...you're Rogue, aren't you?" Rette demanded.

Rette's friends looked from her to the man who smiled back at her.

"I am. I came here from the future." he replied.

"Rogue?" Natsu repeated.

"From Sabertooth?" Wendy asked.

"You said you came from the future?" Lucy asked.

"Like me..." Future Lucy added.

"The question is...why?" Rette asked.

She had a bad feeling about the answer to this. Something wasn't right. She felt like some invisible creature was crawling all over her skin. Whenever she got feelings like that, it usually meant something bad was about to come her way.

"You swept away the soldiers...to help us?" Loki asked.

"You look quite different." Natsu added.

"That aside, he has yet to answer me." Rette said, holding up a hand to silently tell Natsu to be quiet.

Natsu fell quiet, following the silent order as Rette fixed her eyes on this Future Rogue. Future Rogue's eyes narrowed as if he knew she felt something fishy about him.

"Why did you come here?" she asked. "Answer me."

Future Rogue stiffened. Even so many years after he had last seen the Rette of his time line, he still felt that irresistable tug to obey her when she gave him a direct order. Though this Rette didn't look like she knew she had that power.

"To open the door." he answered.

"The Eclipse Door? Why?" Rette asked.

"There are two ways to use Eclipse. One is to move across time. Another one is as a weapon, Eclipse Cannon. The only way to defeat ten thousand dragons." he replied.

"Oh, now I get it. So you're our ally?" Natsu asked.

Rette wasn't so certain about that.

"Great! We can defeat the dragons!" Happy cheered.

"We can change the future!" Wendy said in relief.

"No...it's not that simple." Future Rogue told them. "I came from seven years later. Seven years from now, the world is ruled by dragons. Only ten percent of humanity has survived. And Eclipse isn't as powerful as today. If we don't stop the dragons now, the world will end."

"Then we'll open the door and blast them away! Sounds simple." Natsu remarked.

"Things are never that simple." Rette remarked.

"She is right. Seven years ago...that is "now"...someone got in the way of opening the door. Because of that, it couldn't be opened. And we couldn't point the Eclipse Cannon at the dragons. That person led the world to destruction. I came here...to kill them." Future Rogue said.

"How scary...wouldn't that person cooperate if we explain the situation?" Carla asked.

"There's no need to kill them!" Lily said in agreement.

"Sometimes, it's impossible to stop actions with words. Even if we can convince them now...they will definitely close the door." Future Rogue said.

"Definitely?" Lucy asked.

"We can't escape fate. Some people live and some die. The one who closes the door will close it, as long as they live." Future Rogue said.

"I don't really get it." Natsu remarked.

"I will admit that, in this world we live in, there are always those that are destined to be out lived, but everyone dies sooner or later. It has nothing to do with a set fate. That is just the way of life. But the future is subjective. Nothing is set in stone." Rette remarked.

"It is. Like your eventual meeting with a man with four scars over his left eye." Future Rogue said, pointing to his left eye.

Rette's body stiffened up then. There was only one person she knew of that had scars like that and she **did not** ever want to see him again. Seeing that Future Rogue had gotten to her, Natsu changed the subject.

"Who is it anyway?" Natsu asked.

"You...Lucy Heartfilia!"

Rette jolted, whipping around to jump for Lucy when Future Rogue sent a blade made of shadows, flying for Lucy, but she knew she would be too late. Future Lucy, though, jumped in the way, taking the blade for her past counterpart. Lucy caught her as she fell to the floor, going down with her to cradle her in her lap.

"I...neve...r...closed...the do...or..." Future Lucy gasped to get out.

"I know! I would never do that!" Lucy assured her. "Why did you save me!?"

"Because you...'re...my pas...t self...If you die...I will...die too. It's so...weird...to die...in front of...yourself." Future Lucy remarked.

"It's weird for me too! Don't die!" Lucy insisted.

"It's...okay...I thought...I'd never..see you again...But I...could meet...you. That...makes me...happy..." Future Lucy said, tears in her eyes.

Rette stared down at her, feeling like her heart had just dropped down through the bottom of her stomach. She wasn't even sure she was breathing.

"Lucy...no...don't die..." Happy begged, tears streaming down his face.

"I'm not...from this time...well...from this...world. The Lucy from this world...will live on...with her friends. Don't be sad." Future Lucy told him, reaching up to lay a hand on his head.

"I'm sad! Whatever world you're from, no matter who you are, Lucy is Lucy! Our friend! Of course I'm sad!" Happy cried.

Future Lucy hugged him before turning to look up at her past counterpart.

"Show me...your guild mark..." she asked.

Lucy, confused, held her right hand up to let her see the emblem on the back of her hand. Future Lucy reached out to touch it, happy to see it again.

"Your right hand..." Lucy cried.

It was easy to tell what had happened. Sometime before she had come back to the past, Future Lucy had lost her right hand.

The hand baring her guild emblem.

Rette reached up, touching her own guild emblem where it set between her collar bones. She would have been heart broken to have lost it.

"I wanted...to travel more...with you. Protect...the future..."

Those were the last words to leave Future Lucy's mouth before she died.

Even though it wasn't her Lucy, even though her friend was still sitting there in front of her, tears streaming down her face, Rette felt a wave of anguish and anger wash over her, making her body quake. Her hand curled at her side as she fought to rein the emotions back in.

"She wasn't aware that she closed the door." Future Rogue mused.

"What was that?"

All eyes turned to Rette, her friends backing away from the dark energy they could feel rolling off Rette in waves. Even Future Rogue's eyes went wide as he looked at her. He had only felt this energy from her twice in his life. Once was during the Grand Magic Games, and the other...he had barely walked away from her with his life. He knew better than to confront that dark aura that was leaking off her. It was a power of hers that could decimate an army and, from the sound of her tone as she spoke to him, it was, once again, directed at him.

That little voice in Rette's head was back, yelling, screeching, for her to maim, to kill.

For once...Rette didn't deny it.

Future Rogue didn't see what was coming his way, until Rette's fist connected with his face, sending him flying back off his feet. Once he landed, Rette's heeled boot came stomping down on his gut, making the air come streaming out of his lungs.

"What was that about the door? Lucy would never do something like that." Rette grit out, trying real hard to keep her reason about her.

"Now...but in a few hours, she will." Future Rogue grit out, trying to shove her foot off.

Rette dug her heel in some more.

"I won't close the door! You're talking nonsense. Why the hell are you here!?" Lucy yelled from behind Rette.

"The door will be closed. That will happen, as long as you're alive." he snapped in reply.

"The Lucy from the future said she didn't do it, my Lucy is saying she won't. I trust her." Rette said.

"There is no truth in her words Everything is decided by fate!" Future Rogue said, shadows lashing up around him.

Rette jumped back to avoid them, letting him get to his feet, ready to attack Lucy once more.

"I'll burn fate away!" Natsu declared.

Before Rette could move to attack again, Natsu punched Future Rogue, sending him flying back.

"No one will steal Lucy's future!" Natsu yelled.

Future Rogue lowered his arms to look at Natsu, only to see Rette before him once more. Her leg slammed into the side of his head, slamming him into the wall. Reaching out, Rette grabbed the end of his ponytail, yanking him back and aiming another kick at his gut, making him bend double.

"I thought I taught you this lesson once before, but allow me to refreash your memory." Rette said darkly and lowly.

Her fist came flying for his face. He guarded against the physical attack, forgetting, for the second, about her magic. Instead of a punch, a light blast went off in his face, sending him sliding back on his back.

"Threaten what's mine...and I will end you."

Between Rette's dark anger and Natsu's burning anger, things could get messy. Rette alone was ready to kill him. She would rip him apart with her bare hands if she had the chance. Natsu knew this as well. Before Rette could move to confront Future Rogue, Natsu stepped in front of her, facing her, his hands landing on her shoulder. The contact along with the face of one of her friends blocking her sight of Future Rogue, seemed to snap her out of her dark state enough for her to focus on Natsu.

"Go, Rette. Leave this to me and get Lucy away from here!" he told her.

Rette wanted to argue, he could tell, but her need to protect her friend over rode that chanting voice in her head. Slowly, the dark aura faded until it was gone and Rette was completely back to herself. Natsu now knew what would douse the flames the dark energy lit inside her. The same thing that lit them...her need to protect what was hers.

"Right." she agreed with a nod. "I'll leave it to you." she told him.

Natsu nodded and Rette turned on her heel. One look at Loki and the spirit grabbed Lucy's arm, dragging her after him while Rette took hold of Wendy's wrist and pulled her after her.

"Happy, Carla, Lily, Thyme...let's go." Rette called.

The exceeds followed, Rette taking the lead. Behind them, Future Rogue tried to attack them from behind but Natsu stopped him. Rette knew he wouldn't let Rogue follow them. For now, she had to defend her friend and figure out what was going on, because something wasn't adding up to her.

She would get Lucy out first and then heaven help whatever creature came after her friends.

END

Kyandi: And that is why you don't anger Rette.

Rette: ...I admit, I have anger issues.

Kyandi: For a good reason though.

Rette: Yes, but you can't reveal that just yet.

Kyandi: No, I cannot. So we'll leave it at that for today.

Rette: Because you have other chapters to get to.

Kyandi: Right. So everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	19. Night of the Dragons

Kyandi: I have returned!

Rette: And apparently there is something she wants to share with all of you.

Kyandi: Yep! Though this story hasn't been running long, some of you who read it, have been following me for a long time now. In fact, my six year anniversary of writing on this site is coming up in a few weeks.

Rette: You're point being?

Kyandi: A lot of my readers have been following me from the very start. I decided that I wanted a name to give to my loyal readers as a whole. So, from today onwards, my readers will be known as Kyandiacs.

Rette: You know, there for a moment...it sounded like you were quitting.

Kyandi: What!? **NEVER!**

Rette: Then shall we get to the chapter?

Kyandi: Yep! Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 19 Night of the Dragons

Once outside, Rette used her sixth sense for magic, to lead them to Eclipse. When they neared the gate, Loki was forced to go back to the Celestial realm. Rette, Lucy, Wendy, and the exceeds hid in some bushes, watching the soldiers that milled around the gate. There, standing in front of it, was the princess. Rette tried to decide what they would do next, but it was soon decided for her.

"There's no need to hide. Come out." Arcadios called from where he stood beside the princess.

Rette stepped out of her hiding place first, guarding her friends as they joined them. She would protect them if soldiers came after them.

"We haven't done anything bad!" Happy snapped.

"If you're with the minister that means..." Carla trailed off.

Rette held out a arm, making her friends stop behind her. She faced Durton and the princess, her expression stern.

"If you try to hurt or take away my friends again, I will be forced to defend them." Rette warned.

"No need to worry." Durton assured her. "Many things changed."

Rette still didn't seem convinced. She was awfully tired of people saying one thing and then doing another. Especially when it put one of her friends at risk.

"I'm sorry for what happened. We are in an emergency situation so I'll give you my official apologies another day. Also, congratulations for winning the Grand Magic Games." Princess Hisui told them.

"The others did it." Wendy said happily.

"Of course they did." Rette replied.

"Why are you opening the gate? The dragons aren't coming yet." Lucy asked.

"The dragons..."

Hisui turned to look at Arcadios.

"Yes, they know everything too." he informed her. "By the way, where is your future self?"

Arcadios looked at Lucy, who's eyes went to the ground. Rette reached out, laying a hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze.

"She was killed by the other person who came from the future." Lily informed them.

"He said that the Eclipse Cannon couldn't be used because I got in the way." Lucy explained.

"So he tried to kill you?" Arcadios asked.

"Yes, he did. The bastard..." Rette growled, her mood starting to sour once more.

"Rette!" Wendy called before Rette could lose herself to her anger once more.

"...sorry..." Rette muttered.

"Will you get in the way?" Hisui asked.

"Of course not! I'm just wondering why you're opening the cannon even though the dragons haven't showed up yet." Lucy said, shaking her head.

"Simply because it takes time to prepare it to shoot. If we wait for them to appear we won't make it in time." Hisui answered.

Rette looked over at the gate, her eyes scanning it from top to bottom. Rette had studied several types of magic, both light and dark, but she had never come across something that could be used for two completely different uses. She had no doubt it could connect to the past or future, for she had seen the result with her own eyes, but...could it really be a cannon?

"Can that really be a cannon that can defeat dragons?" Rette asked idly.

"I cannot say that for sure...but his majesty is getting ready too, in case the worst happens." Hisui answered.

Rette was uncomfortable with a less than sure answer, but it was the only answer the princess had to give her. She remained standing there with her friends, watching as the doors of Eclipse were opened. This close to the gate, the magic that rolled off of it, made Rette's skin feel clammy and had chills creeping up her spine. Soon she broke out into a cold sweat and felt a little faint.

Or perhaps that was the fatigue finally rolling in after her fit earlier.

At the chime of midnight, the gate opened.

July seventh, the day every Dragon Slayer's dragon vanished, would become the day dragons returned.

The irony was not lost on Rette.

"With this we'll be able to save the future." Wendy said.

"Yes." Lucy agreed.

"I'm not so sure."

Lucy and Wendy looked at Rette as she stared up at the gate before them. The expression in her eyes was a troubled one.

"Rette?" Wendy asked.

Rette didn't reply, her full attention on the gate. She didn't like this feeling. It was like everything in her was telling her to run and never stop. The last time she had felt this kind of feeling...was the last time she had stood face to face with her father.

Suddenly, Lucy started walking towards the gate, finally making Rette look at her.

"No...we mustn't open the door...I have to close it now." Lucy said. "Close the door! Right now! You can't open that door!"

"What are you saying?" Arcadios asked.

"Please close that door!" Lucy insisted.

"You can't! This is the only weapon we have against that group of dragons! If you close this door now...we cannot fire the Eclipse Cannon." Hisui said.

"There is no such thing as an Eclipse Cannon! That's a "door"! A door that connects time!" Lucy insisted.

"The release of the accumulated magic power is the Eclipse Cannon!" Hisui argued.

"No it isn't! That isn't a weapon!" Lucy protested.

"Leave it. You're going against this country's princess." Arcadios told Lucy.

"That door is connected to four hundred years ago!" Lucy informed them.

"Lucy-"

Rette reached out to pull Lucy back, but froze on the spot. Everyone turned to Rette as her face drained of all color. She whipped around to face the gate as a sudden shift in magic washed over her. A type of magic she had only felt during one point in her life.

"No..." Rette breathed.

"Rette?" Wendy asked, tugging on her arm.

"By the great skies..." Rette said lowly before snapping back to the princess. "Do as she said...quick!"

Hisui and Arcadios stared at Rette, only making Rette even more uneasy than she already was.

"By all that is good in this world, close that damn door before it's too late!" Rette snapped.

But it was too late. The noise that came through the gate had Rette facing it with wide eyes. Something was coming through the gate and the moment Rette saw it, she felt her body go numb with fear.

Coming through the gate...was a dragon.

The dragon took a deep breath, letting lose a roar so loud and so fierce, it sent everyone around the gate, flying back with the wind it kicked up. Rette wrapped her arms around Thyme as she was knocked off her feet. Her back collided painfully with the ground, but Rette simply curled in on herself, defending both Thyme and her own head. Slamming one huge paw down on the ground, the dragon destroyed several streets worth of buildings.

The sheer size of the dragon was larger than Rette remembered them being. Behind that dragon, came another and then another. Lucy jumped at Hisui, grabbing her by the shoulders while Rette scrambled over to Wendy, pulling her up and to her side.

"How do we close the door!?" Lucy demanded. "Quick!"

"W-with that pedestal." Hisui answered, pointing out the pedestal.

Lucy made a break for the pedestal, but another dragon roared, sending Lucy flying back. Rette and Wendy caught her, stopping her from flying too far.

"Hurry, Lucy." Rette told her.

"Right!"

By this time, a fourth dragon had emerged from the gate. Lucy ran for the pedestal again. She grabbed the lever, but couldn't get it to budge.

"Ten thousand dragons...will come from that door, right?" Hisui said shakily, tears streaming down her face.

"Lucy! How did you know!?" Wendy asked.

"I didn't! Crux was researching it all this time! So, just now, he finished analyzing that door! This is a device that puts together magic from the Book of Zeref and celestial spirit magic! Originally you input the time coordinates so you can move time, but it's special only today...that moon is corrupting the magic!" Lucy explained. "Because of that, we can't control this door anymore! It connected with four hundred years ago. In other words, the time that dragons existed!"

"I hate eclipses!" Rette growled sourly.

"How did you know?" Arcadios asked, looking at Rette.

"I could sense them. Being raised by dragons, one learns to recognize the feeling of a dragon's magic. I could feel it even before they appeared in the threshold of the door. Then again...I could feel something off with the magic of this gate from the very beginning." Rette replied.

A fifth dragon appeared.

"Lucy! Isn't the door closed yet!?" Wendy called.

"The dragons just keep coming!" Happy added.

"Why!? Why isn't the door closing?" Lucy cried, trying so hard.

When the fifth dragon stepped out of the door, it's footsteps were so heavy, the resulting updraft knocked Lucy away from the pedestal. Refusing to give up and let her home and her friends be destroyed, Lucy rushed back to the pedestal, while Rette defended Wendy from the flying rubble.

"I want to live my other self's share too! I want to have my share of laughter...tears...I want to live it out! That's why I...will protect the future!" Lucy declared.

Lucy tried, she really did. She put all of her strength into it, but it just wasn't enough. As a sixth dragon came through the gate, it looked like it might be over for them.

"Don't forget about me!"

Everyone turned as Yukino and Mira came their way.

"Lucy please take out your golden keys!" Yukino called as she ran to join Lucy. "Combine with mine, we'll use all twelve to seal the gates."

"We're using the celestial spirits?" Lucy asked.

Without any further hesitation, the two withdrew their keys, throwing them into the air before linking hands to combine their magical strength. Together, they opened all twelve gates, summoning the spirits to force the gates close. A seventh dragon escaped the gate before the spirits could force the doors closed on the eighth. Thankfully, at last, the gate was closed, no more dragons able to slip through to their time.

"It closed!" Lucy cried.

The guards cheered, but it was no time to celebrate. Not yet. They still had a lot of problems to face. Those problems...seven large dragons.

"It's much too early to celebrate! How many of them made it through already?" Arcadios called.

"There are seven of them, sir!" one guard called back.

"Seven...I'm really starting to hate that number." Rette muttered, before an approaching magical energy forced Rette into motion.

Rette ran to Lucy and Yukino's side, throwing herself in front of them in a defensive position. Lucy and Yukino looked up at her in surprise.

"Rette?" Lucy asked.

"He's here." Rette said simply.

"You just had to stick your nose where it didn't belong...Lucy, Yukino."

The voice drew all their attentions to Future Rogue as he approached them. Rette puffed up, gearing up for a fight.

"Relax. I no longer have a need to kill her. Seven will suffice." Future Rogue told Rette.

"What happened to Natsu?" Rette asked.

Future Rogue ignored the question, a grin falling on his face.

"Truth be told...trying to control ten thousand of them is simply a nightmare." he said with a laugh.

"This was your plan all along. I knew there was something wrong about you. I could sense it from the very beginning." Rette remarked.

"Yes, well...you always have had a pension for being overly, annoyingly observant of those around you. It was why I tried to kill you in my own time line. But you proved to be too much to chew with that mysterious dark aura of your's. Thankfully... **that** man took care of killing you for me. And it didn't even have anything to do with me. I suppose he was just as annoyed with you as I am." Future Rogue remarked.

Rette went stiff, her friends staring at her with wide, horror filled eyes. Rette would...die? Sometime in the next seven years. Rette took a deep breath, calming herself and loosening up her muscles. She didn't believe in anything being set in stone. It might have happened in Future Rogue's time line, but the future was subjective. It meant that while it happened in his time line...it didn't mean it would happen in hers.

"That won't happen." Rette insisted.

"We shall see." he replied. "Now listen well, foolish citizens. From this moment forward...the human species shall become extinct. Now begins the era of the dragons."

Rogue turned his attention to the dragons circling in the sky above. Rette took a step back, forcing her friends behind her to do the same. She had a bad feeling she wasn't going to like the next words to come out of his mouth.

"For a start, find all the mages in the town, and eliminate them."

Yep. She didn't like it at all.

Over head, the dragons split up, each of the heading in it's own direction. Only two dragons remained with Rogue. One stayed back while the other was a female named Motherglare.

"The dragons are doing as he said!?" Carla asked in shock.

"He said something about control just now...could he be..."

Lily trailed off but Rette had a good idea on where he was heading with that thought. She had never known dragons to be the type to do as humans told them. Even her own dragons, who had been on peaceful terms with humans, hadn't liked taking orders from one.

"The secret art of dominating dragons...Dragon Manipulation magic." Rogue confirmed.

"Dominating...dragons...?" Happy repeated.

"Ironically, there is one among you who has the ability without needing to learn a new type of magic. Another reason I will be glad when they are dead." Rogue remarked.

A person with the natural ability to make dragons do as they wished?

It was impossible! Of that, Rette was sure. She had researched several magics in her life and had never come across a magic like that. Not one that occurred naturally, at least. Leaving them confused, Rogue jumped up onto the offered paw of Motherglare.

"What does he want!?" Mira asked.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it only means ill for us." Rette replied.

"What could he possibly gain from doing all of this?" Yukino asked.

"No idea, but remind me later to have a long talk with our Rogue." Rette told her.

"What are you going to do to him?" Yukino asked, a little fearful for her former guild mate.

"Never you mind. Let's just say...he won't think to do this in the future." Rette replied.

That did absolutely nothing to make Yukino feel any better.

Over their heads, Rogue turned to the second dragon that had remained with him.

"You can do as you please here." Rogue told him.

The dragon turned out to be the very dragon whose spirit they had summoned in the dragon graveyard they had found; Zirconis.

"Not this dragon again." Rette muttered.

Could things get anymore annoying?

-0-0-0-0-

In the skies over Crocus, Natsu battled with Future Rogue atop the dragon, Motherglare. Future Rogue grinned as he watched Natsu.

"Do you remember when I said that seven years from now the world would be dominated by dragons? But those dragons didn't come from the gate. The ruler is Acnologia. The world is dominated by one single dragon. There are no mages or guilds to fight it. People spend the days in fear. I invented a magic to control dragons...but it didn't work on Acnologia. Only dragons could defeat Acnologia." Future Rogue told Natsu.

"Is that why you summoned them?" Natsu demanded.

"Not only that. If I can defeat Acnologia, I'll be the King of Dragons. I'll be the one who dominates. That's quite thrilling. Ironically, it should have been Rette Starrilia." Future Rogue remarked.

"What are you talking about!? Rette wouldn't do such a thing!" Natsu snapped.

Future Rogue's eyes narrowed as he looked down at Natsu. The grin on his face faltered for a moment. Natsu believed he knew Rette, completely and absolutely. There had been a time when Future Rogue had believed the same thing.

He had been proved so wrong.

"You don't know her like you think you do. I have lived through the future. I know all she can and will do. She is nothing that you believe her to be! Unlike I, who had to learn magic in order to dominate over dragons, she has the ability already innate in her blood. The Dragon Queen, Mother of Dragons...that is only a tiny part of who Rette Starrilia really is! You know nothing of her!" Future Rogue snapped at Natsu. "I, too, though I knew her, until **that man** showed up and showed all of us that we were blinded by the facade she showed the world! Everything you know about her...is a lie!"

Natsu looked up at Future Rogue. For a moment, a brief, very brief moment, Natsu could have sworn he heard hurt in Rogue's voice. Had he and Rette become friends in the future only for something to happen to drive a wedge between them.

"It was why I was grateful when he killed her. At least then she could no long deceive those who claimed to love her. She no longer had need to hide from the world the truth that was slowly killing her. Even now, in this day of your time...she's dying. **It** is killing her. Believe me, when the time comes, you will be grateful she died, just as I was." Future Rogue added.

"Never...I will never be grateful for such a thing!" Natsu snapped. "You're really unlucky."

Future Rogue's eyes widened as Natsu drew a fist back, and with all the power of the Fire Dragon Slayer, punched the dragon on which he rode. The blow was enough to wring a roar of pain from the dragon. Opening his mouth, Natsu put his big mouth and seemingly endless lungs to use.

"Can you hear me!? Dragon Slaying magic can defeat dragons!" Natsu yelled, forcing Future Rogue to cover his ears.

All over the city, all of the other Dragon Slayers looked up into the sky as Natsu's voice reached them.

"There are eight Dragon Slayers!" Natsu cried. "The dragons are seven. We out number them! Our magic was created for this day! The Dragon Slayers exist to fight now! Lets go! Lets hunt the dragons down!"

Down below, Rette looked up at the sky, a grin curling her lips. Eight Dragon Slayers, huh? Rette could feel the magic of the final Dragon Slayer as he was brought to the battle field. With Natsu, Rette, Laxus, Gajeel, Sting, Rogue, Wendy, and finally Cobra, the Dragons Slayers out numbered the dragons. Just as Natsu said.

Future Rogue grinned, not taunted as he faced Natsu.

"It's useless. Humans can't win against dragons." Future Rogue said.

"No need to be humans, as long as they can protect everybody." Natsu replied.

"Motherglare." Future Rogue called, turning to the dragon.

Following the silent order, small pods all over the dragon's body, begun to fall to the world below. They smashed into buildings and streets before hatching into human sized, dragon spawns that walked on two legs.

Things just got more complicated.

-0-0-0-0-

"Aaahahaha! Who should I eat first!?"

This was one dragon Rette could easily come to dislike.

"Zirconis...do you remember talking with us?" Wendy asked.

Stroking his chin, Zirconis shook his head. Of course he wouldn't remember speaking to them. They had spoken to his spirit after his death. This was the live dragon before his death. Carla told Wendy as much.

"But..." Wendy started.

"Did you hear Natsu's voice? Only Dragon Slayers can defeat the dragons! You're the one of the only two here, take a hold of yourself." Carla told Wendy.

Wendy stared at the ground, her insecurity at her own ability, clear in the dejected way she looked. Rette reached out, laying a hand on her shoulder. When Wendy looked at her, Rette gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"I'll be right here with you, Wendy." Rette assured her.

"I'll just eat you all together."

Rette and Wendy looked up, Rette scooping up Wendy and diving to the side as the dragon let out a roar, the blast hitting the soldiers crowded in front of them. Luckily, Rette, Wendy, Mira, Yukino, and Lucy all escaped the blast. Raising her head, and expecting to find the soldiers reduced to ash, Rette, instead, was confronted with the image of a hundred naked men. Rette instantly covered Wendy's eyes and blinked, squeezing her eyes closed as if that would erase the image from her eyes.

"Humans taste good...but clothes don't. That's why I erased them." Zirconis explained.

"It's the first time I've seen something so pitiful..." Mira remarked.

"If I never seen another naked man, it would not be a loss." Rette added.

"Not all are that pitiful." Mira assured her.

"I don't want to know." Rette insisted.

"What about Laxus?" Mira asked.

...

Rette remained silent for a moment, her eyes growing distant as if, for a just moment, she actually pictured it. Then her cheeks went red and she slapped a hand to her face.

"For all that is good in the world, Mira...never again put that image in my head." Rette told her.

"Too tempting an image?" Mira asked.

"Never again, Mira!"

Mira couldn't help laughing at the redness in Rette's cheeks. Rette didn't think it was funny. Especially since all the, now naked, soldiers took off running, refusing to fight while they were naked. Zirconis let them run away, once again stroking his chin.

"Uuhm, now that I think of it men don't taste so good." Zirconis said, his eyes going to Rette and her friends. "Women. I'll devour women."

"That's not creepy at all." Rette said sarcastically.

"Was this...magic?" Wendy asked, meaning the vanishing of clothes.

"Yes. Dragons can all use magic." Zirconis said.

He turned to Rette and Lucy who were right next to each other. Heaving a huff, he blew a puff of smoke at them. The moment the magic touched Rette and Lucy, their clothes vanished. Rette instantly dropped, curling in on herself to cover her body as best as she could. Lucy squealed, trying to do the same. From the way the tips of her ears turned red, Rette's friends were sure she was blood red in the face.

"What is it with males and my clothes!?" Rette demanded.

Zirconis grinned as he looked down at Rette and Lucy.

"My magic is made to steal humans' dignity." Zirconis said.

"Then my magic, is made to defeat you." Wendy declared.

"Magic to defeat me you say?" Zirconis asked.

Rette, despite being naked, took a dive to the side, diving behind a bush as Zirconis reached for her and Lucy. Instead of grabbing Rette too, he caught Lucy in his grip, holding her up before his face.

"Well then, can you defeat me before I devour this young lady?" Zirconis asked.

Rette looked around, trying to locate something, anything to use to cover herself. It was then that she caught sight of the tarp the soldiers had probably used to cover the gate while bringing it to the courtyard. Rette ran to it and, using a knife she fashioned out of crystals, she cut off a section big enough to wrap completely around her body. She tied it over her shoulder and ripped it to tie it twice more. One at her armpit and the other at her hip. It wasn't the best covering in the world, but it was better than being naked.

She secured the knots as she joined Wendy and Mira. Wendy looked up at Rette as she double knotted one knot. Rette gave her a nod. They were in this together. Wendy turned and looked up at Zirconis.

"I will." she said, answering his question.

Rette braced herself as, angered by Wendy's confidence, Zirconis took to the air, carrying Lucy off with him. Many of the others were sent flying back on their backs, though Rette barely managed to remain on her feet. Zirconis laughed down at them.

"You humans can't even fly...try following me up here!" he called.

"Is that so..." Rette muttered.

Bending her knees and casting her favorite spell, Rette launched herself into the air, dragon-like wings of light sprouting from her shoulder blades. Mira was right behind her, using a Take Over form with ability of flight. Both hit Zirconis hard in the under side of his chin. They flew free of him as he laughed at them.

"Wendy!" Rette called before taking a deep breath in.

Carla had flown Wendy up behind Zironis and, together, Rette and Wendy let loose their Roars, hitting Zirconis hard enough to shut up his laughter. In his anger, Zirconis threw Lucy aside, sending her flying across the city.

"Leave Lucy to me!" Happy called, shooting after Lucy.

"I'm counting on you!" Wendy called after him. "We'll deal with Zirconis."

"Agreed." Mira and Rette agreed.

The three attacked, trading off between distraction and attacking. Though there were three of them, two of which were Dragon Slayers, all three were already low on magic from having to fight in the castle. It was taking all they had to land attacks. Zirconis, with an annoyed roar, swung a paw out, hitting Rette and knocking her from the sky as the air was sent rushing out of her lungs. Rette braced herself for impact with the ground but in a flash of lightning, literally, arms wrapped around her body, saving her from her fall.

Those arms held her tightly to a muscled chest, making her look up at the person who had caught her. When her eyes landed on his face, she couldn't help the small smile that started to curl her lips.

"Laxus." she greeted, happily.

Laxus smiled down at her as he sat her on her feet, one arm still around her shoulders and still holding her close.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah. A little winded, but I'll live." she replied.

Laxus nodded before his eyes snagged on what Rette was wearing. Tilting his head to the side to look at where the piece of tarp was tied, he arched an eyebrow in questioning.

"What are you wearing? Are you naked under this?" he asked, reaching out to peel a bit of the tarp back.

He caught sight of the naked skin underneath, a grin falling on his face, before Rette smacked his hand away.

"Yes, I am, and it's not my fault. This dragon has magic that can make a human's clothes completely vanish. He hit the whole army that was here as well as Lucy and me. This was all I could find to cover up with." Rette replied.

Shaking his head, feeling somewhat angry because others had seen Rette's naked body, Laxus released her and pulled his coat from his shoulders. Swinging it around Rette, he tucked it around her smaller form.

"Wear this. Even with that tarp, you can see things out of the side." he told her.

"Such a gentleman. My hero." Rette replied sarcastically.

But she didn't argue. She slipped her arms through the sleeves and settle the coat close to herself. Laxus nodded, glad that she at least accepted the coat. The two turned as Wendy and Mira joined them, Wendy asking if Rette was alright.

"I'll be bruised, but I'm still kicking." Rette replied.

Even though she was sure that shot had broken a rib or two. She could take care of that later, though. Right now, they had a monstrous task ahead of them. Freed, Evergreen, and Bixlow arrived then.

"Alright, here's how we'll do it. Mira will be the distraction. No matter how strong she is, only Dragon Slaying magic will hurt him. Wendy will provide support and Laxus and I will deal the damage from above and below. Freed, Evergreen, Bixlow...your job is to deal with these spawns." Rette told them. "But first thing first."

Rette dropped to her feet then. They needed a boost and she could provide one. Flexing her fingers, she dug her fingers into the ground.

"Twin Dragon Slayer Secret Arts...Territory of the Twin Dragons!"

A large magic circle that was a swirl of ice blue and purple in color, appeared in the sky over them, spreading to cover the city. Crystal and ice shot from the ground forming four pillars at the edges of the circle. Atop them sat statues of dragons. The pillars marked four, evenly spaced points at the edges of the wide magic circle and once they were fully formed, their eyes glowed the same color as Rette's eyes, Rette eyes flashing the same way, showing that the pillars were connected to her.

Taking a deep breath, Rette leaned her head back, opened her mouth, and let out the loudest, most dragon-like cry, any of them had ever heard from a human. It had several of them covering their ears.

All over the whole city, all the dragons and Dragon Slayers looked up as a cry echoed loudly over the city. It sounded like a dragon's war cry, but, at the same time, it almost sounded human made. Every Dragon Slayer knew from where this cry came from.

Rette.

All across the city, Dragon Slayers grinned at the sound of the cry and as power stolen from the dragons, was fed to them through a connection with Rette.

Atop Motherglare, Future Rogue turned, his eyes scanning the city as Motherglare gave a shiver under him. He didn't like the sound of that cry. It sent shivers down his spine and made his knees feel like bending.

"What was that? Future Rogue questioned.

"A Queen's Cry."

Future Rogue looked down at Motherglare as the dragon spoke, giving another shake.

"What?" Future Rogue questioned.

"That was a Queen's Cry...the cry of a dragon queen." Motherglare replied.

A queen dragon!? There was no way that could be. Future Rogue was sure of that. Natsu laughing and grinning, made Future Rogue turn to Natsu.

"That's Rette. She's letting us know that the increase in our power and the decrease in your's, are gifts from her and that we can't waste it." Natsu told him.

Future Rogue grit his teeth. Of course it was Rette. Everything always lead back to Rette! The girl couldn't keep her nose out of other people's business and never had been able to. But to call it a Queen's Cry?

No...no, that did fit. The way he felt whenever she gave him an order, her ability to take and give energy from and to dragons and Dragon Slayers alike, having a cry that affected dragons...it was like Rette was a queen, the dragons in her presence bowing to her will. She just didn't know it.

He knew she had had such an ability back in the future he came from, but he had never really stopped to think of how. Rette was a weird case. She always seemed to have something about her that normal people could never accomplish.

Like her Nexus magic.

She was a special case, always and forever getting in the way of those who, even in the slightest, had plans that could or would harm what she deemed as hers. She was like a queen dragon ruling over her territory and the gods help anyone who dared to question her rule for she would rip them apart.

"She's always been a pain in my side. But she will die less than a year from now. It is her destiny." Future Rogue remarked.

Natsu's head flew up. Less...than a year? Rette had less than a year to change her fate!?

No.

Natsu wouldn't think like that. It was Rette after all. Rette didn't believe in destiny, she didn't believe in fate. She believed in living each and every day as if it was gift from above and she believed in fighting, always fighting, for the next day. She had made it this far, fighting one enemy after another, always struggling to take her next step forward. No matter what weighted her down, no matter who or what fought to knock her back, she continued forward.

She survived.

He refused to think that someone, anyone, would steal Rette's future from her. Not when she gripped it so tightly and fought for it every day of her life. If anyone would survive and continue to fight until she left the world of ripe, old age...it was Rette. She wouldn't let her life end so easily.

With that thought, a grin curled Natsu's lips, making Future Rogue raise an eyebrow at him in questioning.

"If you believe that...then you don't know Rette. Rette doesn't play by anyone's rules but her own! I don't have to worry about someone killing her because Rette won't die so easily. She will continue to survive just as she always has. No one will steal her future from her!" Natsu snapped.

No matter how this all turned out, no matter what happened to the world, Rette would fight. She would never give up and lay down, would never take the world's abuse. She would refuse with everything in her body. The fight might be hard and trying, but she would stand and fight.

She wouldn't die.

Natsu would believe in her to the end.

That was all there was to it.

-0-0-0-0-

"What was that?"

Wendy turned to Rette as she asked this.

"It's one of my Secret Arts. It creates a "field" and all dragons and Dragon Slayers within that field are subjected to the effect. The spell takes magical energy from opposing dragons and Dragon Slayers and feeds it back to me and allied dragons and Dragon Slayers. It just the boost we need." Rette explained.

"Yeah...this will help." Laxus remarked, feeling stronger thanks to the boost.

The others agreed. With this, they all went about the tasks Rette assigned them. Laxus remained on the ground with Wendy acting as her protector as well as dealing damage with the Thunder Legion at his side to fend off the spawns, while Rette and Mira took to the skies. Working in sync with each other proved to be easier than Rette thought it would be. Rette took charge, as she was use to doing now, and even ordered Arcadios to get the princess away, though the princess refused to go.

It was then that a fully clothed Lucy showed up.

"Everyone! You have to see this!" Lucy called.

"A little busy! Explain it to the others." Rette replied, dropped to avoid a swing of Zirconis' tail.

Lucy nodded and handed over the journal she had found that belonged to her future self. Yukino took the journal to read it.

"'Should the gates ever be destroyed in this time, the existence of I, in the future, should also cease to exist as a result of a chain reaction effect.'." Yukino read.

"What does that mean?" Arcadios asked.

"In other words, if the gates are destroyed now, we can alter the future to one that is bound to that one event. If the gates don't function in the future, Rogue has no way of coming to the past." Lucy replied.

"I see...if Future Rogue loses his means of traveling to the past, then we can rewrite the past...in theory..." Lily remarked.

"Be that as it may...can it really stop something that has already happened?" Hisui asked.

"If all goes well then the dragons and Rogue should disappear, right?" Happy asked.

"It's worth giving it a try." Carla agreed.

"But there remains a major hurdle." Arcadios pointed out. "We lack the means to destroy something of this size."

"We'll just smash it with all the magic we've got!" Lucy declared.

"Indeed!" Yukino agreed.

While the Dragon Slayers focused on Zirconis, Lucy and Yukino attacked the gate with all they had. No matter what they threw at it, though, they couldn't put so much as a scratch in the gate.

"It's made out of a magic resilient alloy called Maginium. Destroying it is easier said than done, I'm afraid." Arcadios said.

Even if that was the case, they couldn't give up. They're future depended on it. Everyone all over the city, in the kingdom...all across the world...everyone depended on it. And it was in a time like that, that Natsu came through for them.

Even if he didn't mean to.

Everyone near the gate took cover as the dragons that Natsu and Future Rogue were on, came crashing into the gate, demolishing it under their weight. And there was Natsu, triumph over the Rogue of the future. With the gates destroyed, that meant that they were unusable in the future, meaning that the events of the last few hours, would rewind.

All across the city, the dragons began to glow before they vanished completely, as if they had never been there. Even the smaller spawns vanished with them. With the vanishing of the dragon she was fighting with Laxus and Wendy, Rette landed on the ground, landing just yards away from Lucy, Happy, and Thyme. She ran over to them, looking towards Natsu and Future Rogue, who had yet to vanish like the dragons.

Natsu, glanced over at his friends, making sure they were alright. Once he was sure, he looked down at Future Rogue.

"The Rogue I know...won't turn into 'you'." Natsu told him.

"Shadows...the shadows...they're trying to consume me. They've come for me...time and time again. The darkness within me...is permanent. And the day I lost Frosch...I became one with the shadows." Future Rogue said.

"Frosch won't die." Natsu assured him.

"In one year's time...make sure to tell 'me' to protect Frosch...in a year's time. Or Frosch...will be killed." Future Rogue said.

He said something else, low where Natsu could barely hear. Something that shocked Natsu. While Natsu stared at him in shock, Future Rogue, whose body had started to glow, turned his head, his eyes landing on Rette.

"I know what I said, but...I always regretted her death. Rette, I mean. It was...so cruel how she died. Protect her, Natsu Dragneel. In less than a year... **he** will come for her. The man with the four scars down his face and nightmares in his wake. When he does...she'll give up all resemblance of a fight. She will let him take her life. Don't let her." Future Rogue told Natsu.

With that, Future Rogue vanished as well. Natsu turned, his eyes finding Rette as the woman pet the head of a joyfully crying Thyme. He watched her as she smiled lightly at Wendy as the girl jumped at her, hugging her around the waist.

Rette would...give up?

No...that couldn't be. Rette never gave up...on anything. Watching Rette, he couldn't imagine anything that could make her give up. Yet, Future Rogue had insisted that Rette would give up. That she would, in the face of this mystery man, let herself be killed. This man, whoever he was, would come and kill Rette, he would take her away from them.

Well...that wasn't going to happen!

Whoever this man was, whatever he wanted, he wasn't going to take Rette from them. No way, no how.

Natsu would never allow it.

-0-0-0-0-

Over the next few days, repairs to the city took place. Thankfully, the only ones that remembered anything were those mages that fought against the dragons. There was no panic from the city's inhabitants over remembering about the dragons. After repairs were done, the king, as a thank you to the magic guilds that helped in the fight with the dragons, held a ball for the magic guilds and all of their members.

Everyone was excited about it and dressed up in fancy dresses and suits for the ball. By the time Lucy, Mira, Wendy, Lisanna, and Yukino joined the others, Natsu still hadn't made an appearance. While the others wondered where Natsu was, friends from different guilds were taking the chance to party together, Freed was running interference on keeping women away from Laxus, and Erza made up with Millianna by handing over Happy, Carla, Lily, and Thyme for her to hug.

It was then that Sting approached the members of Fairy Tail with a bottle and a couple of glasses, wondering where Natsu was.

"Salamander ain't here." Gajeel told him.

"What!? I was about to put a seal on him to close the gap between us!" Sting admitted bluntly.

While Sting sulked for a moment, Gajeel turned to talk to Rogue. Recovering from his sulking, Sting clapped a hand on Gajeel's back.

"I'll settle for Gajeel! Let's drink!" Sting cheered.

"Settle? I have this sudden urge to smack you. Go find Starrilia! She'll entertain you!" Gajeel retorted.

"Oh yeah, were is Rette?" Sting asked, looking around.

"Rette insisted, to the very last moment, that she wasn't going to come." Lucy said from where she stood nearby.

"She said she had better things to do with her time than to be pranced around in a fancy dress that she had no business being in." Mira added with a small laugh.

"So she's not coming?" Laxus asked.

"Oh, no, she's coming. It's just taking her a little bit longer to get dress since she kept insisting until the last moment." Mira replied.

Laxus perked up, his head raising. He couldn't wait to see what dress Rette showed up in.

It was then that Sting and Rogue caught sight of Yukino. The moment she saw them, she turned on her heel.

"A-apologies...I shouldn't have come here after all..." she said, hurrying to make her escape.

"Wait!" Sting called after her. "I'm sorry...I didn't know you were here. Master and our lady have both vanished. We're going to start over from scratch and rebuild Sabertooth from the ground up."

Yukino, surprised by what he said, turned to look at him.

"You know...we've been quite...cold towards you. But we're going to become a guild that treasure and values our comrades from now on." Sting told her.

"Why are you telling me all this?" Yukino asked.

"We want you back...I guess that's kinda how it is if we go with the flow." Sting told her.

A drunk Kagura entered the conversation at this point, her hands on her hips.

"Of course that's how you'd want the flow to go! Yukino's life belongs to me! She's Mermaid Heel property now! I won't stand for any back talk on that matter!" Kagura insisted.

"You're drunk as hell!" Sting snapped.

"Shaddup! Yukino's Mermaid Heel's now!" Kagura snapped back.

"Please wait a second! We can't just sit idly by on this." Erza said, jumping into the conversation now.

"That's right! If you want to follow the flow, then she should join us!" Lucy added.

With both Mermaid Heel and Fairy Tail throwing in their opinions, that invited Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and Quarto Cerberus to weight in on the debate. Even the guild masters joined in. With that, a brawl broke out and Yukino, happy that so many people cared, broke into tears and a smile.

"Just what on earth are all of you doing?"

The demanding voice carrying out over the dance hall, had everyone coming to a stop. Coming their way from across the hall, high heels clicking against the marble, was Rette. Jaws dropped and everyone completely forgot what they were doing.

Rette was stunning in her choice of a dress. It was a deep purple affair that clung to her form until it reached her hips where it fell to the floor in an A-line. One high rise slit rode up the right side of the skirt baring the length of one leg that was made to look longer thanks to the silver, strappy heels she was wearing. It was sleeveless and backless in a halter top fashion, with a high neck line and large diamond cut out in the front that showed off her guild emblem and enough cleavage to make a man's mouth water. The open back was even so low that everyone could seen the two dimples just an inch or two above the crack of her backside.

She had paired it with silver gloves that reached up to mid-forearm and had all of her hair swept over to the right, the hair along the left side of her head braided back and secured with a bejeweled brooch. Long, dangling earrings hung from her ears and she had added her charm necklace.

Despite her reluctance to be dressed in a fancy dress, she came towards them with confidence in her stride, the lights twinkling off a small tiara that had been nestled among her hair on the top of her head.

Rette scanned them all as she approached, her hands going to her hips.

"What are all of you doing? We're in the king's castle for crying out loud and you're all acting like your five year olds fighting over a shiney toy." Rette remarked.

"That would be my fault." Yukino told her, quickly explaining to her what was going on.

"Really? That's the reason behind this?" Rette asked, one eyebrow raising. "The solution is simple."

"Oh? What solution is that?" Mira asked.

"Easy...it's Yukino's life. She decides. Personally, I have no doubt she'll go back to Sabertooth. It is her home, after all. Home is where the heart is and hers is with Sabertooth." Rette said confidently before turning and walking away from the mess.

Yukino laughed lowly. Rette was certainly right about that. Rette ignored the looks she got as she passed and went to the refreshment table, getting her punch to drink since she was about to willingly drink alcohol.

"Rette! You look so pretty!" Wendy said, approaching Rette with Chelia behind her.

"You really do!" Chelia agreed.

"Really? I feel positively stifled in this thing." Rette said, tugging lightly at front of the dress.

"How can you? If the back was any lower and if the front was anymore open, everyone would see everything you have." Gray remarked.

"I'm not use to dresses. Especially not floor length dresses. This was the only one I could find that came anywhere close to being comfortable." Rette told him.

Before anyone else could approach her and comment on her dress, Arcadios appeared on a balcony over head, calling their attention to him.

"For your bravery in the Grand Magic Games, and for saving this country from mortal danger, his majesty has come here in person. Let that sink into your very hearts." Arcadios announced before turning to introduce the king.

Instead of the king, Natsu appeared wearing the king crown and cape.

"What's up bitches!? Let's crank this up a notch!" Natsu declared.

Several members of Natsu's guild broke out into a nervous sweat, their jaws dropping open. Rette blinked as she stared up at Natsu and then looked down at the cup of punch in her hand.

"You know, I'm half tempted to say, "Screw this" and just finding the strong alcohol they have and downing the whole bottle." Rette remarked.

"He's always crossing the line." Lucy said, as if in agreement with Rette.

"That he is. But it's what makes the days exciting." Rette replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

With everyone in a good mood, the party began anew. Rette stood off the side, watching her friends have fun, talking, dancing, and drinking the night away. It was like the celebrations back in Fairy Tail's guild hall, but on a grander scale. It was certainly fun to watch.

"Hey Rette."

Rette looked up as someone approached her, calling her name. She looked up into the eyes of a slightly grinning Laxus.

"Oh, hey. You clean up nice." Rette remarked, looking him over.

Laxus' grin grew as he crossed his arms over his chest. Rette's eyes went past him then to the women standing behind him, swooning at the sight of him. She raised an eyebrow as she looked up at him once more.

"And it seems you have a lot of fans." she remarked.

"Who?"

Laxus turned to see what Rette was looking at. The moment his eyes landed on the women, they squealed, one even fainting on the spot. Frowning slightly, Laxus turned back to Rette, fixing his eyes solely on her.

"I didn't even notice them." he replied lowly.

Rette was actually willing to believe that. Especially when his eyes didn't, for a single second, stray from her. They did, however, travel up and down her body before finally focusing in on her face.

"You look great." he told her.

"You always say that." Rette pointed out.

"You always look great." he replied.

Rette scoffed and shook her head. He was always giving her needless compliments like that these days. She didn't see the point, and might have called him out on it, if he didn't look so serious at the moment. Instead, she choose to change the subject.

"Did you need something, Laxus?" she asked.

"Yeah...want to dance?"

Rette blinked down at Laxus' hand as he held it out to her, asking her to dance with him. For a moment she just stared at his hand before she raised her eyes to his face.

"I can't dance." she told him.

Laxus grinned at her.

"You don't need to know how. I'll lead." he told her.

Rette stared at him for such a long time that Laxus was starting to think she was going to turn him down. Then she turned towards him and laid a hand in his.

"Alright, but I'm warning you...I might step on your feet." she told him.

"I'm not worried." Laxus replied.

He grinned, closing his fingers around her hand. For a chance to dance with her, he'd take a couple of bruised feet. Pulling on her hand, he led her out onto the dance floor, pulling her into his arms as the music played. Despite her protest, Rette wasn't really all that bad at dancing. At least, she didn't step on his feet. With on hand on her waist and the other holding her hand, Laxus spun her around the dance floor, grinning.

When Natsu came charging by, swinging Lucy around and almost knocking into them, Rette plastered herself to Laxus, his hand spreading to span her lower back. The two of them turned to watch as Natsu and Lucy crash into Gajeel and Levy. They watched as Gajeel and Natsu started arguing while Lucy tried to get the room to stop spinning. Looking up at each other, their faces close to each other, Laxus grinned, Rette unable to help the small smile on her face as they inwardly laughed at Natsu and his hijinks.

For now, right then and there, Rette was happy. She had her friend, her family, around her, was watching as they laughed and enjoyed their life. They were all alive and happy. For that alone, she was alive and she was happy.

She didn't know that it would all come crashing down soon enough.

END

Kyandi: As I told my readers in the other time line, the next couple of chapters are, somewhat, going to be filler chapters. They do help the plot along a little, but for the most part...

Rette: They're for nothing more than fluff and amusement.

Kyandi: Something like that. Hey, even I have to get my fluff in somewhere. Not to mention that I think a few of my chapter ideas are going to be hilarious for my dear readers.

Rette: I'm not sure I'm looking forward to it.

Kyandi: It's not like you're going to die.

Rette: ...

Kyandi: ...

Rette:...

Kyandi: Why are you being quiet?

Rette: Remember your choice of words later on.

Kyandi: Okay? I will...I guess. Anyway, everyone please enjoy and review.

Rette: We will return as soon as we can.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	20. Village of Ice

Kyandi: Hey everyone!

Rette: We're back and with some new news.

Kyandi: Right! It was recently brought to my attention that I need to get with the times.

Rette: Considering your following of lovely readers, it's understandable.

Kyandi: Right. So, to better keep you all informed on upcoming chapters to all your favorite stories, I made a Twitter account.

Rette: Just check out her bio for the link.

Kyandi: Yeah. When I enter the editing stage of a chapter, I will tweet that I'm close to posting a chapter and will hashtag the story for said chapter.

Rette: You can also ask any kind of questions of Kyandi-sama that you want.

Kyandi: Or just chat. So go check it out!

Rette: In the mean time, we should get on with the chapter.

Kyandi: Right. Everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 20 Village of Ice

After everything was said and done with the Grand Magic Games, the members of Fairy Tail returned home. They had been greeted, upon returning, by the inhabitants of Magnolia all cheering for them, lining the streets. Even the members of Twilight Ogre where there to cheer for them. There were even several there that weren't even from Magnolia and had only shown up to welcome Fairy Tail back home. Rette might have been mildly embarrassed the whole time with so much attention on her, if she wasn't use to being the face of Fairy Tail over the last seven years.

What finally, kind of choked Rette up, was that, as a way to show that Fairy Tail was the pride of the town, the mayor had their old guild hall reconstructed and returned into their care. Fairy Tail was back in it's original home.

The whole thing was enough to make Rette's eyes burn, making her feel like she was about to shed tears. For so long they had been in that tiny, sorry excuse for a guild hall. Now, they were going home, where they belonged. Seeing Rette stare up at the guild hall, a look of mixed longing, joy, and gratitude in her eyes, Natsu and the others from the Tenrou Team, turned to her, grins on their faces.

"What do you say now, Rette? Are we ready to take the mantle back now?" Natsu asked. "Come on, Rette. Let us help...you don't have to do it alone anymore."

Natsu held out his fist, making Rette look down at it. When her eyes returned to his face, he grinned widely at her. Several of the other members of the Tenrou Team chimed in, in agreement with Natsu, making Rette look at each of them. Rette's expression softened as she looked at them. It almost looked like she was close to crying. But she swallowed that. A hand on her shoulder, had Rette turning to face Bisca. Behind her stood Alzack, Max, Jet, Droy, Macao, Wakaba, and the others who had remained behind all those seven years.

"They've proven themselves to you, right? You can finally get the rest you so deserve." Bisca told her.

"Guys, I..."

Rette trailed off as they smiled at her.

"You've done so much for us over the past few years, Rette. Now it's your turn to relax. We know how tired you've been." Romeo added in with a smile.

Rette didn't know what to say. Seeing all of her friends home and safe, seeing their lives picked back up where they had fallen, it was like a weight off her shoulders. For the first time in seven years...Rette felt like she could breathe again.

"You can take a breather now, Rette. Leave it to the rest of us now." Romeo told her brightly.

Rette heaved a sigh, seeing that smile bright on his face. Reach out, she laid a hand on his head, ruffling his hair. Romeo gave her a questioning look as Rette turned to look at Natsu who was still holding his fist out to her. Nodding, Rette reached out, bumping her fist against his.

"Yeah. Take care of everyone. And...welcome home." Rette said, managing a smile of her own.

Cheers erupted around them as Lisanna jumped at Rette, hugging her around the neck. Rette, who had been the only pillar of support for the guild for seven years, approved of them taking the weight from her, they had their guild hall back, and Fairy Tail was back at the top where it belong.

Even after the big celebration and party at the king's castle, coming home lead to another round of celebrations. Rette was just glad to be home again. That gratitude didn't last long as Natsu shared with the guild what Future Rogue had told him about her future. They all knew that Rette knew exactly what he was talking about when her face drained of color after Natsu mentioned the man with the four scars over his eye. Even more so when she tried to dodge the conversation.

"Come on, Rette! Answer the question!"

Everyone in the guild hall stopped talking, turning to look at Natsu as he called across the room to Rette, who was busy cleaning off tables. Even though she had handed of duties with paperwork and everything else, back to Mira and Makarov, she had insisted on keeping her job in the guild hall. Natsu had his hands braced on a table, glaring at Rette as she pretended not to know what he was talking about.

"Oh? And what question was that?" Rette asked, continuing about her work without looking at him.

"The man with the four scars over his eye that the future Rogue mentioned. The one he said would kill you...you know who he is, don't you?" Natsu asked.

Rette froze in what she was doing, her hand hovering over a glass she had been about to pick up. That moment of hesitation, was all the answer Natsu needed. Rette flexed her fingers for a moment before she went back to clearing dishes.

"Who is he Rette?" Erza asked. "If we know, we can find him and stop him before he can hurt y-"

"I don't know who you're talking about." Rette said.

"That's a lie!" Natsu snapped.

Rette didn't turn to face him. She knew, at that moment, that if she did, they would be able to read her like a book. Just keeping her tone even was taking effort.

"He's not anyone of importance, so leave it." Rette said finally.

She didn't turn around to face them, just kept picking up dishes to be taken back and cleaned. Her friends stared at her as she worked. They couldn't simply just leave it at that. Future Rogue had claimed that Rette's death had absolutely nothing to do with the dragons he unleashed on the world, meaning that there was a high possibility...that it would still happen. He had also said that Rette would allow her life to be stolen from her.

"Rette, there's still a chance that it could happen. We really should find him before he can find you." Erza insisted. "Whoever he is, we can protect y-"

" **I said leave it!** "

The sound of shattering glass filled the air along with Rette's darkly snapped reply. Shards of glass fell from Rette's hand where she had shattered the glass from gripping it too tightly. Crimson red drops of blood dripped onto the floor from the cuts that the glass had left in her hand. Rette looked down at her hand and clicked her tongue in annoyance. She stepped around the broken glass on the floor and headed for the bar, setting her tray down before turning to start picking glass shards out of her flesh.

"Rette...what aren't you telling us?" Makarov asked from where he sat on the bar.

"It doesn't matter. I told you...he's not of importance. He's someone that won't approach when he knows I have the name of a guild associated with my own." Rette replied, rinsing her hand with water to make sure she got all the glass.

"Rette, if you're in some kind of trouble..."

"I'm not." Rette insisted, looking up at Erza when she spoke. "It's nothing. I have the future Rogue's warning. I won't fall into any traps. Leave it as it is."

"He said you would give up, Rette. That you would let this guy kill you." Gray remarked. "Knowing you, knowing how stubborn you are about giving up, the thought of someone being able to make you go that far...it's reason enough for us to worry."

Rette let out a humorless, curt laugh at that and shook her head. Pulling a clean cloth out from under the bar, she wrapped her still bleeding hand in it.

"You just said it yourself, Gray. When have you ever known me to give up on anything? I honestly don't think you have anything to worry about." Rette told them. "So, please...leave it alone."

With that, Rette grabbed a broom, swept up the glass and retreated to a back room. Her firends looked at each other. Something wasn't right. Rette was never that sketchy. She had clearly been on edge since they had returned home and it seemed that the girl was almost always tense. Lately, every time she came to the guild hall her color was bad, she looked tired, and she was sluggish. She jumped at the slightest thing and almost always seemed to be looking over her shoulder. Some days, she even looked like she had been through a week long bout of a stomach flu in the course of just about ten minutes. Other times...she just vanished, only to show up hours later looking deathly pale.

Something wasn't right at all.

In the back room, Rette braced a hand on the wall, trying to catch her breath. She could feel another sharp pain ripping its way through her chest. Stumbling, Rette headed for the backdoor of the guild hall, slipping outside unnoticed. It was dark out, the night air carrying a cooling breeze. Rette didn't noticed it, though, as she hurried away from the guild hall. She had been doing this a lot since the Grand Magic Games.

Since she had heard Future Rogue's warning to her.

It seemed that, since then, her fits had been getting worse. She was having them almost daily now. And they were intense. It was all she could do to get away from the guild hall unnoticed. She didn't want anyone to know about them. Didn't want anyone to know something was wrong. Rette didn't bother trying the stairs up to her house. She would never make it. Instead, she headed for a back alley. Somewhere she could pass the fit without anyone being the wiser.

She was blindly stumbling into walls by the time she reached a reasonable hiding place. There, she sank to the ground, reach up to pull her choker off. She felt like she couldn't breath. Hard to breathe, burning pain...Rette couldn't even see straight. The fits were getting worse. It almost felt like she was choking on her own tongue.

"Rette?"

Rette snapped up straight, whipping around, her eyes wide and one hand snapping up to cover her throat. She was sure she had slipped out of the guild hall, unseen. Her eyes found, not Mira, or one of her teammate, but Mavis. Mavis looked back at her with a concerned look on her youthful face.

"Rette, are you alright? You're pale." Mavis said, floating over her.

"I'm fine, First Master. You can return to the others. I'll be in shortly." Rette told her.

Though she tried for her usual blank tone, Mavis could hear the clipped off end to just about each word she spoke. She could hear the pain and, though she was hoping she imagined it, fear, in Rette's tone. Something was wrong and Rette was trying to get rid of her. Seeing that Mavis' concern wasn't going away, Rette tried to give her a tiny smile.

"I'm fine, I promi-"

Rette cut off, unable to finish the sentence as another ripping, burning pain shot through her, making her gag and gasp in pain. She gasped as she wrapped both hands around her throat, coughing as she choked. Mavis hurried to her side, crouching down next to her.

"Rette!?" she asked.

Rette gasped and coughed, removing one hand from her throat to brace herself. It was then that Mavis noticed that Rette wasn't wearing the usual choker she wore and with the choker missing, it revealed what usually remained hidden beneath. Mavis' eyes went wide.

"Rette!" she gasped.

Rette's wide and panicked eyes, flew up to Mavis and she instantly covered her throat with both hands once more. She even shrank back from Mavis, fear clear in her eyes.

"P-please...I can explain..." Rette gasped out.

Mavis shook her head. She could tell that Rette had been terrified someone would see. It was why she had slipped out of the guild hall unseen. Upon seeing what Rette had been hiding, so much fell into place about Rette. How sometimes she came to the guild hall looking like she had just been run through a week long stomach flu in the matter of ten minute, why Rette never let anyone touch the choker, her overly volatile tempers that were completely out of her character, why, lately, she had been suddenly vanishing, more and more...everything.

"Oh, Rette!" Mavis said softly, reaching out to Rette.

Rette shrank even more, folding in on herself until her forehead was pressed to the ground. Mavis had never thought to see Rette in this kind of position and it cut at her heart to see it now. It hurt to see the usually confident, straight forward young woman reduced to a huddled up form on the ground.

"Please, don't...I can't stand pity." Rette said lowly.

"I don't pity you, Rette. I'm only sorry you have to suffer this. Tell me what's going on." Mavis coaxed.

For a long moment, Rette didn't speak, she didn't move, Mavis swore she didn't even breathe. Finally, Rette turned her head to peer up at her from behind the screen of her hair.

"You can't tell Master or anyone in the guild." Rette told her.

"Rette, I don't think-"

"Please, Master Mavis! Swear it." Rette pleaded.

"Rette..."

Mavis didn't want to agree to this and Rette knew it. Rette silently pleaded with Mavis. She couldn't tell Mavis if she was going to tell the others. She couldn't let the others know what was going on with her. They wouldn't understand.

"I can't do this to them, Master Mavis. I can't drag them into my world. Not after everything they've done for me...after all they've given me. It's not right. Please!" Rette pleaded. "Everyone just got their peace and happiness back."

Mavis could see Rette's conviction. If she didn't promise and keep her promise, Rette would walk away now without getting any help that Mavis could possibly offer her. She might even vanish completely. And that could end up being detrimental to her health...and possibly her sanity. So, even though the words tasted like ash in her mouth, she promised Rette.

"I promise I won't say a word to anyone." Mavis told her.

Rette seemed to relax with that promise. She managed to shift into a sitting position and moved her hand from her throat to show Mavis what lay there. Black symbols wrapped completely around her throat, spelling out a spell of some kind that was etched firmly into her skin. Normally it remained fully hidden under her choker.

"It's a seal." Rette told her lowly.

"A seal for what?" Mavis asked.

Rette shook her head. That was one thing she refused to tell Mavis, or anyone for that matter. It was a secret she would take to her grave. Mavis knew she would have to deal with what she could get from Rette and try to piece the rest together herself.

"I've had it for as long as I can remember. Now and then, I would have small fits, burning pain and shortness of breath, but recently...the stronger my magic gets, the weaker the seal seems to be. It also seems to respond to certain emotions, too. The fits have gotten worse. I can't breathe, the pain drives me to my knees...I have no strength afterward. There are even times when I pass out from the pain." Rette told her.

It sounded like whatever was sealed was slowly trying to kill Rette and the stronger her magic got, the stronger it got. If this kept up, it would kill Rette, but it was a secret Rette would rather take to her grave than burden her guild with. Mavis thought hard. How could she, who didn't even have a real body, help Rette without getting the rest of their guild mates involved?

Then the idea hit her.

Mavis knew this would help Rette, but it would be breaking a rule that had been high among rules for masters of Fairy Tail for decades. Mavis looked at Rette as the girl tensed up when another fit hit her. She couldn't leave Rette like this no matter what the rules said.

Rette would die if she did.

"Come with me, Rette. I can help you." Mavis told her.

Rette looked up at her, confused, but with some urging, Mavis got her to her feet and got her to follow her. She sneaked Rette down a long stone stair way that lead deep beneath Fairy Tail. Rette stumbled along behind her, her strength already beginning to fade. By the time they reached the room far below Fairy Tail that was crumbling away from age, Rette was barely able to stay on her feet. She looked around, the magic around her so strong it was over powering.

But Rette knew this magic.

She had felt it from the very first time she had stepped inside Fairy Tail.

"Master Mavis, is this...?"

Mavis turned to her, standing before a door way on the other side of the room. She gave Rette a wary smile.

"This is Lumen Historie. You can't tell anyone of this Rette. Not a soul." Mavis told her.

Rette nodded, joining her before the door. When the door opened, Rette stared wide eyed at what sat before her. She turned those wide eyes on Mavis. Shock, questioning, and understanding, in her two toned eyes.

"This is why it feels so much like you." Rette said lowly.

Mavis nodded. Before them stood the tall crystal in which was preserved Mavis' real body. Following Mavis, Rette stumbled over to the crystal. Raising a hand, Rette pressed it lightly to the crystal. Through the power in the crystal, Rette could tell that the body inside the crystal...was alive.

"You're still technically alive?" Rette asked in wonder.

"I can explain this to you another time. For now, we're here for another reason. You're a Crystal Dragon Slayer, right?" Mavis asked.

"Yes." Rette replied.

"And you can eat crystals?"

"Only those I don't create myself." Rette answered.

"Good...then eat part of the crystal."

Rette whipped her head around to stare at Mavis, but she seemed perfectly serious. The clear, dumbfounded look on Rette's face was enough to make Mavis feel like laughing.

"I'm sorry...what?" Rette asked.

"Eat part of the crystal." Mavis repeated.

"But Master Mavis...that would be like eating part of you, part of your power! I would be basically absorbing part of you into my body." Rette replied.

"I know. By doing this, part of me would be in you for now on and from there...I can help to control the fits." Mavis told her.

Rette looked from her to the crystal encasing her body. She didn't feel right about this, knew it would create another bond that she wasn't sure she could handle. That was basically what it would become. With this, she would be linked to Mavis and Mavis to her. Rette wasn't sure about it.

"I know what you're thinking, Rette. And yes, it would link us. But wouldn't it be worth it to be free of the fits?" Mavis asked her.

"Not necessarily, First Master. There is so much about me that I would not wish on another person, a hell in my own mind that I even keep from Thyme. To even consider putting even the tiniest bit of that on you...I'd rather stay in the hell of my own mind." Rette said.

"Rette, please. In exchange for me keeping your secret, allow me to do this for you." Mavis insisted.

Rette looked at her, a torn look on her eyes. Deep down, Rette was touched and she knew Mavis was right. Silently thanking Mavis with her eyes, Rette turned back and, as quickly as she could-because she knew the magic she was consuming would hurt going down-she took five big bites, the crystal breaking off easily under her sharped incisors, and swallowed quickly. For a moment, nothing happened, and then it hit.

Rette let out a cry of pain as her body suddenly throbbed and pain filled her from her head to her toes. She crumpled to the ground, gritting her teeth as she curled in on herself. Her whole body felt like it was on fire. But even so...it wasn't the worst pain she had ever felt. Since the magic trapped in the crystal technically wasn't her own or even similar, it pained her as it fought to settle in her body. As the magic settled, Rette felt like there was a burning sensation settling on the skin of her stomach.

Mavis sat at her side the whole time, speaking to her lowly and reassuringly. When finally the pain passed, Rette lay on her side, breathing hard. Mavis sat beside her, reaching out to run ghostly hands over Rette's hair. Maybe it was because she bore the emblem of Fairy Tail, or maybe it was because of the trial she had just gone through, but Rette could actually feel her touch.

"I'm sorry for the pain." Mavis told her.

"It's not the worst pain I've ever felt." Rette replied lowly. "But that feels nice...you petting my hair. I never had anyone to do that for me."

"That's right...your mother died when you were young." Mavis said.

Rette glanced up at her before letting her eyes drift close. She didn't really like talking about her parents. Either set, for that matter. But Mavis was curious. Rette had told her a little about her father, but she had a feeling that Rette was leaving out a lot.

"Rette...tell me about your father." Mavis suggested.

Rette heaved a sigh. It wasn't a subject she liked speaking about, and he wasn't a man she liked thinking about, but she was sure that Mavis wouldn't let it go with a "no".

"I think I told you this once, but in case I didn't...my father was a cruel man. Especially to me. He wanted someone of his blood to use as a part of his grand master plan, so he forced my mother to have me. She died shortly after I was born. I never knew her." Rette said.

"And your father was so cruel to you." Mavie stated.

Rette nodded her head. Mavis stared down at Rette. She felt so bad for what Rette had to go through growing up. Rette refused to open her eyes, didn't want to see the look on Mavis' face.

"To him, I was nothing more than a tool. Not even human. Torture, pain, fear...that was all he ever gave me. I suppose I was a smart child. I ran away when I was five and a year later, I was taken in by Tundron and Chrysalis, my dragons." Rette went on. "So, no...I've never had anyone to just pet my hair in comfort."

"Was your father responsible for the seal?" Mavis asked.

"Yes."

Mavis, looking down at Rette's face, had a feeling that that was all she was going to get out of her about this. For a moment, they remained that way, sitting there in silence while Rette tried to gain some strength back. When she had enough energy to stand and walk, Rette staggered to her feet, slipping her choker back on to hide the seal around her neck. Rette found out, very quickly, that getting down the stairs was a whole lot easier than getting back up them. Her legs felt like jelly. Just lifting them to get up the stairs was a task in and of itself. Mavis stayed with her the whole way, speaking to her gently and coaxing her onward.

By the time Rette was back outside in the open air, she knew she wouldn't make it up the stairs to her own house. She barely made it within sight of the back door to the guild hall.

"Sit here. I'll get someone to take you home." Mavis told Rette.

Rette's eyes flew up to Mavis, their depths filled with concern. Mavis gave her a reassuring smile before pointing to the ground, silently telling her to sit.

"I'll only tell them that you're sick. Nothing more. I promised after all." Mavis told her.

Rette heaved a relieved sigh and slide down to the ground, her back against a crate.

"Thank you, Master Mavis." Rette told her.

Mavis nodded and vanished. Rette leaned back against the crate, letting her head hang forward. She had absolutely no strength left and she could swear she was freezing while her head felt hot and heavy. She was in and out of consciousness when she heard someone approach. The next thing she knew, Mira was next to her, tipping her head back to look at her face. Erza, Lisanna, Lucy, Wendy, and Levy stood behind her and Thyme landed on Rette's other side. Mira pressed a hand to Rette's forehead, her skin feeling cool against Rette's own.

"She has a nasty fever." Mira remarked. "Rette? Rette, can you hear me?"

"...cold...I'm cold..." Rette mumbled.

"I bet you feel that way. You have a high fever. Why didn't you tell us you were sick?" Mira asked.

"Didn't want...anyone to...worry..."

Mira looked back at her friends and smiled. That was so like Rette. More concerned with causing trouble for others than her own health.

"What are we going to do?" Erza asked.

"We'll take her home with us and take care of her." Mira offered.

"I'll get big brother to carry her." Lisanna said before turning and running back into the guild hall.

She returned shortly with Elfman on her heels. The girls moved out of the way as Elfman leaned over to scoop Rette up into his arms. Rette was mumbled once again.

"Just want to...go home..." she muttered.

"Well, you're too sick to take care of yourself. You're going to stay with us for a little while." Mira told her sternly.

Rette heaved a sigh. She didn't feel anywhere good enough to put up a fight or argue. Rette turned her head, looking for Thyme. The exceed flew up until she was level with Rette.

"Stay with someone. I don't like the idea of you staying by yourself." Rette told her.

"She can stay with me and Carla." Wendy offered.

Rette nodded and thanked Wendy before Elfman carried her away. Rette was just grateful that Mavis was keeping her secret and that her friends had simply accepted that Rette had worked herself sick and nothing more. Rette just hoped that Mavis' solution was enough to stop the fits.

Only time would tell.

-0-0-0-0-

Rette's fever broke and she finally fully came awake about three days later. Rolling over in bed, Rette groaned. Her body felt sore and she was sweaty all over. She glanced around the room, trying to remember where she was. The frilly white curtains, small but overly fluffy bed, and purple-pink walls were completely different from what was in her own room. She was sure she wasn't at home.

"You're finally awake. Good."

Rette turned her head towards the door, finding Mira standing there with a tray in her hands. It took seeing her for Rette to remember that the Strauss siblings had taken her home to care for her. Rette eased herself up into a sitting position, pulling at the front of the frilly white nightgown to pull it away from her sweaty and sticky skin.

"Yeah...and I'm a sweaty mess." Rette remarked.

"That's good. It means your fever finally broke. We were really worried. How are you feeling?" Mira asked.

She sat the tray down on the bed side table and perched herself on the edge of the bed. Reaching out, she pressed the back of one hand to Rette's forehead.

"I feel sticky and sore. At this point, I just want a bath." Rette remarked.

Mira covered her mouth as she laughed. Rette just sulked. She was sweaty and sticky and she didn't find it funny in the least. Reaching out, Mira pat her knee through the blankets before turning to the tray.

"Eat first and then we'll take care of the bath. You've barely ate anything the last few days." Mira told her, sitting the tray in Rette's lap.

The moment the smell of food hit Rette's nose, her stomach gave a loud growl. Rette pressed her hands to her stomach as Lisanna stuck her head into the room.

"Was that a tummy growl I just heard?" Lisanna asked.

Rette wrinkled her nose making the sisters laugh at her. She lost no time in digging into the food provided to her. Lisanna came into the room, pulling the chair away from the desk to sit down beside the bed. Rette glanced towards the door.

"Where's Elfman?" Rette asked.

"He's out on a job. We've had a lot of requests come in over the last couple of days. We've all been so busy but, thankfully, at least one of us has always been here to look after you." Mira told her.

"Sorry." Rette told them.

"Don't worry about it. We're sisters, right? We'll always take care of each other." Lisanna told her.

Mira nodded in agreement. Rette gave the two a small smile. She couldn't ask for better adoptive siblings then the Strauss siblings. Rette knew that, even though they didn't have the room in their house, if Rette wanted to live with them, they would welcome her with open arms. Mira turned to Rette then, her expression going serious.

"Rette."

Rette knew she was in for it now. Whenever Mira said her name like that, it usually meant that she wanted to talk about something she knew Rette didn't want to talk about. Rette glanced up at her before focusing back on her food. She had a pretty good idea on what Mira wanted to talk about.

"I already said I didn't want to talk about this, Mira." Rette remarked.

"We have to talk about this, Rette. As unlikely as it is for you to give up on anything, let alone give up your life, we've seen your face whenever that man with the scars is mentioned. You turn ghostly pale." Lisanna remarked.

"She's right, Rette. It's easy to tell that this warning actually scares you." Mira agreed.

Rette heaved a sigh and sat down her fork. She couldn't tell them the truth. She couldn't tell them who, exactly, this man was. Though, if truth be told, she was pretty sure a few of them had already figured it out. Despite how they acted sometimes, the members of Fairy Tail were far from being stupid.

Though there were a few special cases.

"What do you expect me to say? I'd be an idiot to ignore a warning from the future, but the chances of this warning coming to pass is so limited, it's laughable. He would never approach me knowing just how public my life has become. There are too many people that would get in his way, too many people who would come after him if he tried anything. He won't risk it." Rette told them.

"And you won't tell us who he is?" Lisanna asked.

"I don't need to. Even if I told you who he was, you would never find him. The man is a master at hiding until he's good and ready for you to know he's there. Though the idea of him looking for me, scares me, its just because the thought of him makes my stomach turn. I'm not really worried that he'll confront me. If I'm not worried, you shouldn't be." Rette told them.

"But we are. Rette...you're important to us. We love you just like we love each other. To us...you're our sister." Mira told her.

"I know, and I love the three of you too. I love everyone in Fairy Tail. It's why I'm telling you that it's not important. Trust me. Though he scares me, in truth...he's a coward. He attacks those he knows he can beat when it's one-on-one. But I'm never alone. I have the whole guild at my back and I know that with one call...any one of you would come to my aid. Fairy Tail is well known for defending it's member fiercely. He would never challenge that." Rette insisted.

Mira and Lisanna looked at each other as Rette went back to eating. While they wanted to argue, wanted Rette to let them in and tell them who this man was, they knew she wouldn't. If Rette refused to say something, it was for a reason. It was that reason that they feared. Despite how much she had opened up, how much closer she had become with the guild, Rette was still keeping a key part of herself at arms length away from the rest of them. She would rather face it alone, keep it locked up inside herself, than let them see the most crucial, as well as the worst, part of herself.

The click of a fork on plate, had Mira and Lisanna looking up at Rette as she sat her fork down on the, now, empty plate. Rette let out a grateful sigh now that her stomach was no longer growling.

"I'm done eating now. Can we talk about that bath?" Rette asked.

Despite having a real bad feeling about Rette's reluctance to talk, Mira couldn't help smiling at that comment. She stood up and took the tray from Rette's lap.

"Alright. Let's go." Mira told her.

Rette would talk if, and when, she was ready to.

They just hoped she did it before something bad happened.

-0-0-0-0-

"Who wants to go out working when you have a place like this?"

Rette was inclined to agree with Cana. After stopping by her house for a change of clothes, Mira and Lisanna had taken Rette to the guild hall. When it had been reconstructed, a large set of baths, one for the males and one for the females, had been added on. At the very moment, Rette was reclining in the large, shared bath with her other female guild mates.

"After the Grand Magic Games we're getting so many requests." Lisanna remarked from where she sat, scrubbing herself with soap.

"I'm so busy I don't know where to start." Mira added, washing her hair on the stool next to Lisanna's.

"With all this work we have to rest too." Levy insisted.

"I don't even want to see the stack of request for me that have piled up in the days I was sick." Rette muttered, heaving a sigh.

She sank in the water until it was up to her nose. She had been told there were personal request for her and that there had been quite a few. Rette wasn't all that excited to see what they were or how many there were.

"Levy, weren't you working today?" Lucy asked, turning to Levy.

"Jet and Droy said sometimes they want to go alone." Levy replied.

"They're just trying to impress you." Rette remarked.

"By the way, Natsu and Gray too went out to work together." Lucy said.

"Those two? That's rare!" Lisanna said, turning on her stool.

"They get along better recently, but it's still weird that they'd go together." Mira added.

"I think Happy is with them too though." Lucy told them.

"Won't make much of a difference." Rette remarked.

Lucy was sure that Rette was right. Happy usually didn't do much to stop the fights. If anything, he kind of egged them on. Suddenly, Cana moved close to Lucy, pressing up against her side. It was obvious the woman was already drunk.

"More importantly, Lucy. Is it true that Natsu groped your boobs?" Cana asked.

Lucy's face went blood red as she gasped in surprise. How did Cana know about that!? Then it came to her...Happy.

"It's not like you think! He just-"

"Oh, who cares. Let me have a taste too~." Cana remarked, reaching around Lucy to grab her bare breasts.

"Wait, Cana...!"

Rette heaved a sigh as Lucy protested Cana's invasion of her personal space. She turned away from the two, about ready to get out of the bath. Cana turned on Rette then, a sly grin on her face. Her arms wrapped around Rette's waist, pulling her back into the water. Rette turned to look at the sly grin on Cana's face.

"Don't think I haven't heard about you losing your top in a fight with Sabertooth's Twin Dragons a few years back. Or about you almost losing your shorts to one of their teammates." Cana remarked.

Rette's expression was not one of someone who was amused. She was pretty someone in the guild had told her. It was probably Macao and Wakaba. Or maybe even Max. It wasn't a memory that Rette liked to think about.

"Should I even bring up appearing in front of Laxus completely naked during the fight with the dragons?" Cana purred.

"That wasn't my fault. None of it was. The dragon I was fighting did the same thing to Lucy and several guards." Rette remarked.

"Oh~? I heard Laxus slipped a peek. He liked what he saw?" Cana asked.

"I couldn't even begin to tell you." Rette replied.

Truth was...she didn't want to think about it. Rette about jumped out of her skin when Cana's hand's moved to her breasts. Her cheeks coloring a light pink, Rette twisted her away out of Cana's grip and turned, splashing water in Cana's face.

"I think now is about the right time to go check out what requests I have backed up." Rette remarked, heading for the edge of the bath.

"Take it easy and don't push yourself." Mira called to her.

"I'll be careful. I'll focus on joint requests for now." Rette assured her.

With that, Rette grabbed her towel, wrapped it around herself and left the bathroom. She took the time to dry herself and get dressed before she went about getting her short hair to lay flat on her head. Rette was sitting at a table, flipping through the stack of requests for her when Lucy showed up.

"Hey, Rette. That's a lot of requests." Lucy remarked, sitting across from her.

"Yeah. It was this way after the last time I took part in the Grand Magic Games, too. It seems that people like the fact that I'm the Nexus Mage as well as a Dragon Slayer. A lot of these requests have me paired with other Dragon Slayers in joint missions. There's some that even request me working with Sabertooth's Dragon Slayers in a collaboration mission." Rette told her as she sat the stack down.

"You sound like you could use a cup of tea and some girl talk." Lucy offered.

"As long as the subject doesn't cover future warnings or being naked." Rette agreed.

"Deal!" Lucy agreed.

Rette gathered up her requests and the two headed out for Lucy's house.

"We never really get to talk all that much." Lucy remarked.

"No, we don't. It seems that we always have Natsu and Gray around and that means that our time is filled with keeping those two from killing each other." Rette agreed.

"They certainly keep us busy."

"That they do. Though, to be honest...I really missed it."

Lucy looked at Rette as she stared straight ahead. Though Natsu and Gray constantly tried her patience, even small things, like the noise and trouble they caused, became something she missed when her friends had vanished. Lucy reached out, laying a hand on her arm.

"I'm sorry we left you like that for so long." Lucy told her.

"Don't worry about it, Lucy. All of you are home now and things are as they should be. To see you all alive and well, to see everyone happy once more...it was worth the wait."

Lucy smiled at Rette. She knew it had caused Rette some unbelievable grief when they vanished, but Rette had chose to not let herself be washed away by that grief. She had picked herself up and had taken her remaining guild mates with her. Lucy was sure that none of them would allow Rette to ever have to do something like that alone. Not again.

The two arrived at Lucy's and Lucy opened the door. Upon stepping into Lucy's room, they found Erza and Wendy with Carla and Thyme, already waiting. Thyme flew out of her seat the moment she saw Rette and crashed into her chest.

"I missed you too." Rette told Thyme.

"I'm sorry, we entered without asking." Wendy told Lucy.

"It's a nice house." Carla complimented.

"The sweets we got as a reward are a little too many for us. We came to share some with you and Thyme said she could feel Rette heading this way. We hoped she was with you." Erza said.

"Waah, thank you." Lucy cheered.

"Thanks." Rette said, taking a seat next to Wendy.

"Are you feeling better, Rette?" Wendy asked.

"Much, thank you." Rette told her.

Lucy sat her bag down and joined them.

"Does that mean you did a good job?" she asked, pointing to the case of desserts.

Despite Erza insisting that it had been a perfect job, the look on Wendy's face said else wise. Rette was more inclined to believe Wendy. Erza had a way of missing key pieces of the picture when she was sure things had gone well.

"By the way, aren't Happy and the others back yet?" Carla asked.

"They're late considering they said it was an easy job." Lucy answered.

"It's been three days already." Erza said.

"They shouldn't be far away, shall we go check?" Wendy asked.

"It's not like I'm worried..."

Rette was half tempted to call Carla out on that.

"Indeed...considering their skills, it's weird that they'd be so late." Erza remarked.

"Maybe they had some trouble." Wendy suggested.

"Maybe they **caused** some trouble." Rette remarked, Wendy giving a nervous laugh because she **knew** that that was plausible.

The six of them decided to head out and see what was going on. What they found, had Rette tilting her head to one side. The large, pig-like monster that Gray and Natsu had been requested to take care off, was lying on it's back, completely done for, but Natsu and Gray were nowhere in sight.

"It's already over." Carla remarked.

"Yeah...but where are they?" Rette asked.

"Carla...help me..."

They all turned as Happy, using a stick to keep him up, came their way, looking like he had seen better days. Erza crouched down in front of him.

"What happened?" Erza asked.

"Well..."

Happy explained to them what had happened before he took them to Natsu and Gray. The two were all beat up, their faces swollen from where they had been punched multiple times.

"Stop fucking around, you shitty flame!" Gray was shouting.

"I should say that, you bastard perv!" Natsu yelled back.

The two were locked in a fist fight, constantly trading off blows. Rette knew this was probably what had kept them. They two couldn't go out on their own without ending up in a fight.

"Three days of this?" Carla asked.

"They do sleep and eat." Happy replied.

"I told you they were probably fighting." Rette said.

Erza stepped forward then to stop the fight. Three days was long enough. Without realizing who was talking to them, Natsu and Gray both turned and punched Erza, yelling at her to shut up. It took them a moment to realize what they had done, but by then, it was too late. In that moment, they were sure of one thing and one thing only. Something that Rette was more than happy to point out.

"Oh...you two are so dead."

-0-0-0-0-

"I'm never working with him again."

"Yeah, yeah, Natsu. We've heard it all before."

Rette said this from where she sat across the table from him, shifting through her requests once more. After the whole incident with Erza, Wendy had healed their injuries they had, as a group, returned to the guild hall.

"I don't want anything to do with that idiot." Gray insisted.

"You two say the same thing every time. Try not to act like children, will you. We have better things to do then to constantly have to break up your fights." Rette told the two.

Neither felt like arguing with Rette. For one, they were tired, for two...Rette always won arguments. There was no point in trying to pick an argument with her. Just then, Makarov called across the guild hall, waving a job request over his head.

"Natsu! Gray! Rette! They're requesting you three!"

Rette looked up, Natsu and Gray turning around in their seats, the two of them yelling, "Again!?" at the top of their lungs.

"Be grateful and don't fight, next time! Rette, keep them in line." Erza said.

"Yeah, I will." Rette said.

She got to her feet, Natsu and Gray following her as she walked across the guild hall to Makarov. Makarov was reading over the request, his face taking on a nervous, sweaty look.

"This is..."

"What, Grandpa?" Natsu asked.

"I'm not going with him anymore." Gray said.

"Same here." Natsu agreed.

"You will go and you will behave yourselves, or I will crystallize you both." Rette told them, making the two take a step back from her.

Rette glanced at them, making sure they weren't fighting, before turning back to face Makarov who still looked a little nervous.

"What's wrong, Master?" Rette asked.

"No...you all three have to go...and also, you mustn't fail...The request is from Warrod Seeken. He's the fourth rank of the Ten Wizard Saints, one of the Ishgal's Four Gods." Makarov said.

The room erupted into a loud explosion of voices. Rette didn't need to ask. She knew who Warrod Seeken was. She had heard about him when she had asked Jura about the Ten Wizard Saints once before during a joint mission.

Whatever the job was, Rette knew that, under no circumstance, could they fail.

Her life just had to get more complicated.

-0-0-0-0-

"This is such a peaceful place."

Rette had to agree with Wendy. Clear skies, beautiful scenery abundant with animal life, the air clean and fresh...Rette couldn't really be all to upset with the job when she was in such a peaceful place. She would agree that the place was perfect...if it wasn't for the bickering and fighting going on, on either side of her.

"You ate my meat, didn't you!?"

"I'm not eating your stuff!"

"And wear some clothes!"

"Do something about your hair color, it's an eyesore!"

"You're both an ear sore!"

With a loud smack, Rette knocked the two over the head. Both dropped into a crouch, rubbing at the back of their heads. Rette cracked each of her knuckles, heaving a sigh of relief now that she didn't have them bickering in her ears.

"Now cut it with the bickering. Master holds this man in high regard. Make him look bad and I'll make that swat look like a love tap." Rette warned them.

"We came with you because we were worried, but...it might be worse than we expected if the two of you are going to argue with Rette between you." Lucy remarked.

Rette remained between the two as they started off again. With Rette, and her threat, between them, the two settled for just glaring at each other.

"The Ten Wizard Saints are the continent's ten most powerful mages chosen by the council. Right?" Lucy asked.

"Yes. Our master and Lamia's Jura are among them. In the past Phantom's Jose and Jellal were as well. The highest ranked four are Ishgal's Four Gods." Erza remarked.

"Ishgal?" Wendy asked.

"It's the old name of this continent. You'll come across it in several history books." Rette explained.

"Why would such a person nominate someone like them?" Lucy asked, turning to look at Natsu and Gray.

The two had purposely fallen behind and were quietly bickering where they thought Rette wouldn't hear. Rette heaved an annoyed sigh and turned on the two. Natsu and Gray yelled as Rette pounced. She managed to get an arm around each of their necks, putting them in a headlock. Tightening her grip, she cut off their air, making the two tap her arms to try to get her to let go.

"I told you two to stop. Now either you're going to do what I tell you, or I really will crystallize you and leave you in the wild for animals to mark their territory on." Rette told them.

When she released them, the two moved apart from each other, quietly doing as she told them. Wendy pointed out a house at the top of a hill just ahead of them, then.

"That must be it." Rette remarked.

They approached the house. Opening the front door, they called out.

"We're from the magic guild Fairy Tail." Erza called.

Across the room, a man stood before a row of plants, watering them. He shushed them then, never turning to face them.

"Be quiet. Plants like silence. If you understood, close that annoying mouth." the man, Warrod, said.

Rette was just thinking that they might be dealing with a serious man...until he revealed it had just been a joke, his magic causing plants of all kinds to sprout across the floor. When he turned to face them, Rette had to blink. The man...looked like a walking, talking tree.

"Well, thank you for coming. Mages of Fairy Tail. Who are Natsu, Gray, and Rette?" Warrod asked.

His eyes landed on Happy, Carla, and Thyme then. He picked the three up, holding them out at arms length to look them over.

"Ohh! You're more cat-like than I thought." he said said, before breaking out in laughter once more. "It's a joke, you know! Wahahaha!"

Rette really wanted to go home now. Just being near the man made her feel tired and she hadn't done anything yet. The others seemed to share her sentiment. Warrod invited them to join him outside at a table for tea while he explained his request to them.

"After retiring I've been working to bring back trees in the desert." Warrod told them.

"Retire? You were a guild mage, then?" Rette asked.

"Hahaha. It was a nice guild. I'm preventing deserts from spreading with my Green Magic. It sounds like philantropy, but it's just a hobby of mine. Anyway, for this reason I've been traveling across deserts. And some time ago I found a strange village." Warrod said, pulling a book out and opening it to a marked page. "According to the documents, it's the "Village of the Sun". A village that in the past used to worship an ever-burning flame as it's guardian deity."

"An ever-burning flame?" Natsu asked.

"Yes...but that village is now frozen." Warrod told them.

That explained why Gray was there. If anyone could tell them about something frozen, it would be Gray. Rette too, if she wanted to put her Ice Dragon Slayer powers to use.

"I don't know if it was a natural or man-made disaster. But people, animals, plants...even buildings and rivers...even the eternal flame that protected the village is frozen." Warrod explained.

"A flame froze!?" Lucy asked.

"I highly doubt it was natural then." Rette muttered to herself.

"Perhaps not. I don't know what happened. However...people were alive inside the ice." Warrod replied.

"People living inside the ice..." Happy repeated.

"What do you mean?" Carla asked.

"The villagers were frozen alive. I can't leave it like that, I want you to save that village. That's my request." Warrod said.

"I see! It's simple then! I'll just melt all the ice with my flames!" Natsu said.

"Then I'm not needed." Gray remarked.

"No...that's not simple ice. We will definitely need your power too." Warrod told him.

"What role could I possibly play here?" Rette asked.

"I had heard that you have studied many types of magics." Warrod replied.

"I have." Rette confirmed.

"Perhaps, once you see it, you might know what it is or a way to fix it." Warrod explained.

Perhaps, but Rette wasn't going to hold her breath.

"I might sound impertinent, but can't a mage with your power just solve the matter on their own?" Erza asked.

"I think you might be misunderstanding something...The Ten Wizard Saints aren't almighty, they're just ten people chosen by the council. There are many mages stronger than me in Ishgal, and I can't even compete with the ones outside the continent. I don't even have magic suited for attack. I'm not even confident I could win against an armed youngster." Warrod answered.

"But..."

"Everyone has something they're good or bad at. Friends, and the guild, exist to make up for that." Warrod said when Erza trailed off.

With that, Rette's friends accepted the request. Rette sat there, silent. To agree would be to contradict what she was doing now. It would contradict how she was fighting so hard to keep secrets from her guild mates.

"Where is this village?" Rette asked, instead of agreeing with her friends.

"About two thousand kilometers south of here." Warrod told them.

"That's quite far." Erza remarked.

"I'll help you at least with that." Warrod said, getting to his feet. "Gather over there. Don't forget your luggage."

They gathered where he told them too. They stood there as Warrod chanted something. Under their feet, a tree began to sprout, carrying them up into the air.

"Do your best, Fairy Tail youngsters." Warrod told them.

With that, the tree's growth shoot up, rocketing them through the air at a fast pace. Rette latched onto a branch, one arm wrapped around Thyme so she wouldn't be knocked off. Natsu, at the front, stood there, arms raised in the air, cheering and laughing like a loon.

"He was humble...but he was really something. Magic that can control the nature..." Erza remarked.

"I can see why Master holds him in such high regard. Despite his constant bad jokes...I like him." Rette agreed.

About half way, the motion sickness kicked in and Rette started feeling a little sick to her stomach. By the time they reached the end and were able to climb off, Rette was starting to get dizzy.

"Is it here?" Gray asked.

"I think so. Look. There's ice on those rocks." Rette said, pointing out some nearby rocks.

Following the trails of ice, they soon located the frozen village. Everything was covered in ice, the sun shining off the surface.

"It's true, the buildings and everything are frozen." Lucy remarked.

"I wonder what happened." Wendy mused.

"According to Warrod people are frozen too, but I don't see any." Erza said.

Rette was peering upward, at the buildings when something caught her eyes.

"Uh, guys," Rette called, making them look at her. "I found the inhabitants."

Rette pointed upward. Following her gesture, the others looked up...and up...and up, until their eyes finally landed on the giant man that stood frozen before them. They were in a giants' village.

"Why is that information like this always seems to get left out?" Rette asked.

Rette turned to say something to Gray and stopped when she noticed the look on his face. It was easy for her to tell that he was having flash backs to Deliora and his teacher. Rette reached out, laying a hand on his arm. Gray jolted, snapping out of the flashback and looked down at Rette, as Lucy turned towards him too.

"What happened?" Rette asked.

"Nothing...When I see big frozen things I just...yeah." Gray said.

"I get it. It's the same when I'm stuck in the dark." Rette told him.

Rette gave his arm a squeeze, letting him know he wasn't alone. Gray gave her an, although weak, smile of gratitude.

"I'm surprised to see such huge people." Erza remarked.

"Dogs are big too." Wendy said, pointing out a frozen dog.

If it could be called a dog.

"Anyway, we should save them." Natsu declared.

Rette left Natsu to attempt, and fail, to melt the ice. She walked over to another giant and laid her hands on the ice coated foot, closing her eyes and letting her senses spread. Just as Warrod said, she could feel the heartbeat, strong and steady, beneath the thick shell of ice.

"The old tree guy said it's not normal ice. This feeling...It's magic I've never sensed before." Gray said, hand on the ice.

"You can't melt it with your magic either?" Erza asked.

"..."

Gray didn't answer.

"I guess it won't be that simple." Lucy remarked.

"But...it feels similar to someone's magic." Gray remarked.

Gray turned, looking towards Rette who still had her eyes closed. He called out to her then, the others turning to look at her too.

"You got anything, Rette?" he asked.

Rette opened her eyes, looking up at the giant she stood before. Closing her eyes once more, she pressed her forehead to the ice, reaching deep to feel what lay beneath the ice. Several heart beats echoed back at her, but there was something else. A voice, a magical power she had felt before.

"It's not magic I've encountered before, but something trapped under the ice...it's just...I don't know. Familiar? I feel like I've felt this before." Rette remarked.

Just then, something else came to her. A scent on the wind that was definitely above the ice. Three scents she had never smelled before but were definitely human.

"Someone else is here." Rette warning, whipping around.

The others turned, following her gaze. Above them, on a cliff over looking where they stood, stood three men.

"Who are you?" Erza asked.

"I don't sense any magic from them." Rette remarked.

"We're a guild of treasure hunters." one man with long hair said.

"Sylph Labyrinth." the second one added., the third adding a "Duun.".

When neither Rette nor her companions said anything, the three repeated what they had just said. As if they thought Rette's group hadn't heard them.

"We got it." Rette told them.

"A guild of treasure hunters?" Wendy asked.

"Does it mean their specialty is finding treasure?" Lucy asked.

"Takes all types in this world, I suppose." Rette remarked.

"I'm sorry, but the treasure sleeping here is ours. Don't get in our way." said the one with the long hair.

Rette decided to refer to him as Girly, since his hair was longer than her own.

"Treasure?" Natsu asked.

"Who cares about that." Gray retorted.

"Aren't you here for the eternal flame?" Girly asked.

"If we were, you'd be able to tell. We would be searching the village instead of talking to you." Rette retorted.

"Then what are mages doing here?" the second guy, a man with spiky hair, asked.

"We came to melt the ice and save the villagers." Happy told them.

The three treasure hunters looked at each other, before turning on them with sweaty, somewhat annoyed look on their faces.

"That's getting in our way!"

"Oh well. Deal with it." Rette said idly, not really caring at this point.

"Why you...! The eternal flame is a legendary flame that's been burning for centuries. To us treasure hunters it's an s-class super treasure." Spiky said. "We were never able to get close to it because of the giants protecting it."

"But now for some reason they're all duun! Frozen."

Rette decided, since he kept saying it, that she would refer to the third man as Duun. It wasn't like she was going to take the time to ask them for their names.

"In other words, it's the perfect chance to get the flame." Girly added.

"But that flame is like the protecting god of this village. It's very important to them." Wendy remarked.

"If you take it away you'll be like thieves." Lucy agreed.

Again, the three shared a look before turning back on them with somewhat annoyed expressions. Rette was starting to get a little fed up with these three. They claimed that they were treasure hunters, doing their job, and that they couldn't let someone else take the flame before them. They turned to take off and get a head start.

"You are aware that the flame is frozen just like the rest of the village, right?" Rette called after them.

The three turned back to look at her, grins on their faces. Rette didn't like those grins. Spiky held up a small, corked bottle in his hand.

"Don't underestimate our super treasure hunting skills. With this super treasure, "Moon Drip", we can super melt the ice." Spiky said.

"Say super again, I dare you." Rette told him.

She was becoming a little annoyed with the word now. Her teammates, though, were more focused on the bottle of Moon Drip. With Natsu declaring that that tiny amount could save the village, he lead the charge after the treasure hunters to claim the bottle. Rette and Erza stayed behind, Erza claiming that they would search the village. Thyme went with Carla and Happy as well. Rette and Erza watched as their friends vanished, Rette's expression flat.

"They are aware that that much wouldn't melt the whole village, right?" Rette asked.

"I wonder about that." Erza replied with a sigh.

"Oh well. It'll give us time to search for clues without Natsu nearly demolishing one of the giants." Rette remarked with a shrug of her shoulders. "Shall we split up and search?"

Erza turned and looked at Rette. Though Rette had just recovered from being sick, and even though she looked well and healthy once more, Erza didn't like the idea of Rette going off on her own. Not with her just recovering and certainly not with the future warning that was looming over her head. When Erza didn't say anything at first, Rette turned to her, blinking in confusion.

"Something wrong, Erza?" she asked.

"Uh, no...nothing. Are you sure you'd be alright on your own?" Erza asked.

"What are you talking about? Of course I will be. I'm all better, Erza. You don't have to worry so much. Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if all of you think I'm made of glass or something. It wouldn't be the first time I've done something on my own, you know." Rette remarked. "I have taken care of the guild on my own."

She turned to head in one direction, patting Erza on the shoulder as she passed her. Erza turned and watched as Rette headed further into the village.

By herself.

Rette was always trying to do things by herself. **That** was what worried Erza. While she had worried only slightly before, now, with this foretelling of Rette's death hanging over their heads, Erza really worried. Rette wouldn't tell them if something was wrong. She didn't think it was important enough to worry them.

Seven years hadn't changed that.

That was what worried Erza.

But there wasn't much she could do about it. By forcing herself on Rette, it would only cause Rette to push them away even more.

"Call me if something happens!" Erza called after Rette.

Rette simply raised one hand over her head and waved to show that she had heard her, before she vanished around a corner. Erza really hoped Rette would. She hoped Rette was right and that man, whoever he was, wouldn't really approach Rette.

Hoping and praying was all she could do as she turned to do her own job.

END

Kyandi: Alright, so instead of bothering you all with useless nonsense, I'm going to get to the end so I can get to work on the next chapter.

Rette: Sounds like a good idea.

Kyandi: I thought so. Everyone, please keep an eye on my Twitter.

Rette: Ask questions, say hello, follow so you can get an early heads up, whatever.

Kyandi: And please enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	21. Foreboding

Kyandi: Hello my lovely Kyandiacs!

Rette: We're back.

Kyandi: Sorry it's taking so long. I'm in the process of moving.

Rette: And fixing up the house.

Kyandi: That too. It's a major pain in my back side.

Rette: I imagine so.

Kyandi: ...*mumbles to self*...

Rette: Since we made you wait so long, we'll get right to the chapter.

Kyandi: Right. So everyone please enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 21 Foreboding

Quiet.

The whole village was awfully quiet. And cold...so cold.

Rette shook her head to clear the thoughts out of it before the string of thought could bring flashbacks of her childhood to mind. Wandering through the village, she studied each giant, pausing now and then to touch one and stretch out her senses. She had noticed, at one point, that every giant she passed, was facing the same direction, away from the center of the village where a large mountain rose. Rette stopped and turned to look towards the mountain.

Perhaps that mountain was where the eternal flame was and the giants had been defending it against something when they had been frozen. Erza had been heading that way when they split up and knowing Erza like she did, she had probably caught on to the same thing Rette had. That meant she would be checking out the mountain. When Rette stretched out her senses, she could feel Erza quickly heading in the direction of the mountain. Leaving that to Erza, Rette continued to search the village, trying to figure out what could have caused the ice that now covered the village.

Pausing next to a spike of ice junting out of the ground, Rette reached out to touch it. She ran her fingers over the cold surface, her skin not even really registering the cold thanks to her Ice Dragon Slayer abilities. Crouching down next to it, she peered at the ice.

"You most certainly are not natural. Who, or what, caused you?" Rette asked, speaking to herself.

Humming lowly in thought, Rette leaned forward, opening her mouth to sink her teeth into the ice. Her dragon-like teeth managed, barely, to cut through the ice and Rette swallowed, rolling the taste over her tongue. A moment passed, then another before Rette gagged as a horrible taste settled over her tongue. Her stomach rolled, revolting against the ice she had just devoured. Whatever had created the ice, the magic in the ice didn't sit right with her dragon-like stomach.

"Alright, so that wasn't such a good idea." Rette remarked, pulling a water bottle out of her bag to try to wash the taste away from her tongue.

Worse yet, it made her seal around her neck, as well as a spot just above her navel, throb. Rette feared, for a moment, that she would have another fit, but just as quick as the single throb came, it was gone. No pain, no shortness of breath, nothing. Rette heave a sigh of relief. It seemed that Mavis' solution to her fits, really did worked.

For that, Rette was grateful.

It was when she turned to look at the ice, that she noticed something on her stomach. Leaning back, Rette looked down at the shining design that had appeared just above her navel. To Rette, it looked like the wing adornments that Mavis wore in her hair just over her ears. The design consisted of those sweeping outward away from an elegantly carved "M". Rette had no doubt in her mind that this was the cause of the burn she felt when Mavis' magic in her stopped the fit. As she watched, the mark glowed a bright gold and faded from her skin, leaving no trace of it behind.

It was strange, and Rette didn't know what to make of it. It was probably just a mark to show that the magic was working. As long as no one else caught sight of it, Rette didn't really mind. Besides, she had other things to think about at the moment.

Rette kicked back into motion, continuing to search the village. Stopping by a giant, she laid a hand on it. As she stared at the ice, something else caught her attention. Right before her eyes...her hand was shrinking. Not just her hand...Rette looked down to find her whole body aging backwards. She had to grab her shorts to keep them from hitting the ground as she reverted back to what she could only assume was somewhere around the age six to nine. She knew that had to be the age range, because her hair began to grow in length until it pooled on the ground around her feet.

Back at the ages six to nine, Rette's hair had been so long, it trailed behind her as she walked, up until she was ten and she cut it for the first time in her life. Rette quickly tied one side of her shorts into a knot to keep them in place. Thankfully, she was wearing a halter top and it stayed in place. Turning towards the reflective surface of the ice, Rette peered at her reflection, her eyes wide in shock and disbelief. Staring back at her, with wide doe-eyed eyes the same color as Rette's, was Rette's younger self, with her massive length of silver hair and far too tiny and thin frame.

She was her child self again. Backing away from the ice, Rette tripped over her too large boots and fell on her butt. Even sitting on the ice, she scrambled back away from the reflection until her back hit a wall. Shaking was starting to over take her body as she raised her hands to stare at the tiny things barely remaining covered by her gloves. It couldn't be, it just couldn't! Rette's hand flew to the front of her shirt, gripping as she started hyperventalating.

Images, horrible images of her childhood, came flying back to her. They were so vivid, so real, it felt like they had happened just yesterday. Rette couldn't think straight, she couldn't rationalize the situation, couldn't tell herself that this wasn't her childhood. Her head whipped side to side, trying to find somewhere to hide. Her eyes landed on a small crack in a wall. Scrambling across the ground, her limbs not wanting to work like they should, she darted into the crack, huddling herself up. She drew her knees to her chest, her hands diving into her hair as she gripped her head, trying to process all the memories flashing by in her head.

"...help...please...someone...I-I can't..."

Rette's voice choked off with a sob. She couldn't make her brain function. She found herself calling for help, just as she had done as a small child, even knowing that no one would come to help her. Fighting these memories, the swarm of feelings and thoughts, made her feel like she was drowning. She found herself cast back into the feelings she had felt swarm her everyday of her life before she ran away from her father and all she could do was the one thing she had done everyday.

"...Help..."

-0-0-0-0-

"That voice...who is it!? And when the hell am I gonna go back to my normal size!?"

Natsu was getting frustrated as he ran through the village. He was still stuck in his child size. He was trying to follow a voice he had heard from beneath the ice when the Moon Drip the treasure hunters had, had shattered and melted a small patch of ice. He was running down a road when he heard a tiny voice calling for help. He paused for a moment, turning to look around him. The voice was almost familiar to him. He turned a corner, something catching his eye. Something was laying on the ground ahead of him. Natsu approached it and knew what it was instantly. He bent to pick up the belt, recognizing the sword attached as well as the pouches.

Laying on the ground with it, was a familiar travel bag and a pair of boots laying on their side. Natsu looked them over. He was sure...these were Rette's. Future Rogue's warning suddenly flew through his head and Natsu started looking around in a panic.

"Rette!? Rette, where are you!?" he yelled.

There was no answer. Natsu was about to take off running, when he heard something, low and soft. He drew still, listening. Sure enough, there it was again. Soft sniffles and low sobs, like the crying of a child. Natsu followed it towards a building. There, deep in a crack in the wall, he found a small child with a massive amount of hair. It took Natsu a moment to realize...the child was Rette.

"Rette!?"

Rette didn't answer him. She had her knees drawn up tight to her chest, her hands pressed tightly to her head as she rocked back and forth, low sniffles and sobs leaving her. Now that he was close, he could tell it was less sobs and more gasps for air. She was hyperventilating. She was also muttering to herself. Natsu reached out, to shake her and snap her out of whatever she was in, but the moment his finger tip touched her, Rette jolted backward, plastering herself to the very back wall of the little space she was hiding in.

He could see her eyes now and they were wide with horror and fear, as well as glazed over, as if she was stuck in a vision of the past and couldn't escape it.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please...Father, I'm sorry!" she half screeched, huddling further in on herself.

Natsu froze. Something about the magic that returned them to their child forms, must have cast Rette deep into her memories of her childhood. She was now stuck there, unable to see that it was a friend before her, not her father. He had to snap her out of it. Reaching out, Natsu grabbed her by the shoulders. Rette instantly started fighting, but she was so thin in this form. Had she really been like this as a child!? Natsu looked her over.

Her hair was impossibly long. It would trail a good foot behind her on the ground when she stood and her frame was thin, pretty much just skin and bones. If they really reverted back to the form they had had in their childhood...Rette must have lived her life always being half starved.

Natsu gave her a firm shake, making her draw still.

"Rette! It's Natsu! Snap out of it! You're not with your dad!" Natsu snapped at her as he shook her.

It took a moment but her eyes started to clear until she was blinking up at him in a daze. The way her mouth twisted, Natsu was sure she was about to cry. Just as he had done for Lucy in the past, he hugged her, feeling as the tension in her small body, slowly leaked away.

"N...Natsu...?"

"Yeah. You're fine." he told her.

Rette pressed a hand to her face, letting him hug her as she tried to calm down. Now that he had snapped her out of it, she could see just how irrational she had been. She had let the memories sweep her away, back to the dark place she had been stuck in for so long. As she calmed down, she frowned.

"Natsu...let go...I...I'm going to be sick."

Natsu released Rette, letting her scramble past him. She made it as far from him as she could, leaning over a chunk of ice, before her stomach revolted against her. For the most part, it was dry heaving, but she did lose most of her breakfast. Natsu watched her from a distance.

"The memories are that bad?" he asked.

"You have...no idea." Rette said between heaves.

When she was sure she could heave no more, Rette plopped back on her butt. Natsu joined her, crouching next to her. It was then that Rette got a good look at him.

"So you got turned into a kid too." she remarked.

"Yeah. Some big guy did it. Said it lowers our abilities." Natsu told her.

"Sounds about right. Though, truthfully...I've always had a larger than normal amount of magical energy. The only thing that's going to be lowered...is my control over it." Rette remarked, heaving a sigh before turning to Natsu. "What are you doing here? I thought you were with Lucy and Wendy."

"I heard a voice and I'm trying to find who it belongs to." Natsu told her.

"A voice?"

"Yeah. The Moon Drip those treasure hunter guys had, dropped and melted away a small patch of the ice. I could hear a voice calling out through that hole." Natsu explained.

"Any idea where it's coming from?" Rette asked.

She wasn't going to question him about the voice. If Natsu swore he heard something then, most of the time, he heard something.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure it's coming from that mountain there." Natsu said, pointing off towards the mountain at the heart of the village.

Rette pushed herself to her feet, finding it a little strange since she was no longer use to a body as small as the one she currently had. She also realized just how much lighter her chest felt without the added weight of her breasts. Going back to that was probably going to be the only thing she would dislike.

"Well, then let's go check it out. I need to do something." Rette said.

Natsu popped to his feet and nodded. Rette collected her bag, shoving her boots inside, and grabbed her belt. They took off, Natsu leading. A couple of times, Rette tripped and fell forward after stepping on her hair. Natsu turned to look at her after the fifth time.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah. I always had hair like this when I was little. Now, I can't remember how the hell I dealt with it back then." Rette said, getting to her feet.

She reached back, scooping up her hair and tied it into a knot just so it wouldn't keep getting under her feet. With a nod, they set off again. They hadn't been running for more than maybe five minutes when suddenly Rette lost her balance as her chest began to swell and her limbs began to grow. They were on an incline, heading down, so she tumbled forward, crashing into Natsu, sending them both tumbling down to the bottom.

"Ow! Sorry, Natsu." Rette said, untangling herself from him.

"It's fine. Our bodies just went back to normal." Natsu remarked, looking down at himself.

Rette looked down at herself. The knot she had tied one side of her shorts in, had come undone so that her shorts fit perfectly now. Her chest once again filled out her top and her hair was back to it's short length. Though, Rette was sure it was a few inches longer than it had been before she had reverted back to her child form. The ends of her hair now curled around her face at a little above chin length. Rette's hands settled on her breasts and she heaved a sigh.

"I did **not** miss these." she muttered. "I wonder what happened."

"No idea. But let's not sit around and find out." Natsu said, getting to his feet.

"Good idea."

The two dusted themselves off and started off again. They didn't get far before they crashed into each other again as they were reverted back to their child forms. Rette laid on the ground, her expression blank aside from one small annoyed tick mark in her left temple, Natsu draped over her back.

"This is getting rather annoying." Rette remarked.

"Got that right!" Natsu retorted.

"Natsu."

"Yeah?"

"...Get the hell off me."

Natsu quickly scrambled off Rette, letting her sit up. Rette dusted herself off. Natsu looked at her, noting the annoyed tick in her temple.

"Well you did say you wouldn't miss your grown chest." he remarked.

Rette picked up a rock and threw it at Natsu. The rock hit him square in the middle of the forehead, knocking him back. Natsu, now angry, scrambled up to his feet, both hands pressed to his forehead where the rock had hit.

"What's your problem!?" he snapped.

Rette jumped to her feet, her hands holding her shorts up and faced him. She didn't even have to change her expression for Natsu to take one look at her expression and back down, his anger washing away.

"I can say it. You can't repeat it." Rette told him.

Then Rette's eyes traveled down his form and Rette heaved a sigh, turning her back on him.

"Natsu...pull your pants up."

Natsu looked down, noticing that when his body had shrank again, his pants had fallen down. He quickly yanked them up while Rette tied another knot in her shorts. Once they were sure their clothes would stay up, they headed off again. Rette cursed darkly under her breath when, just a few minutes later, she was sent stumbling over her own feet as she was returned to her normal form. Natsu shared her annoyance as he righted his pants and scarf.

"Makin' us big, makin' us small...we really should've beaten the crap out of 'em when we had the chance." Natsu muttered.

"Agreed." Rette replied, fixing her shorts and wrapping her belt back around her waste.

She couldn't feel the cold on her feet, so she didn't bother with her boots. Who knew if they would be changed again.

"Natsu! Rette!"

Natsu and Rette turned when they heard Lucy's voice calling their names. Coming their way was Lucy and Wendy with Flare from the former Raven Tail guild just behind them. Natsu freaked at the sight of Flare and Rette had to grab him by the back of his scarf to keep him in place.

"It's okay, she isn't our enemy. Flare is actually from the village." Lucy explained.

"Uh, so are you suppose to be a giant too?" Natsu asked as Rette released him.

"Nope." Flare replied.

"She was raised here by the giants." Wendy told him.

Natsu walked up to Flare, leaning forward to look her in the face. Flare leaned back, a little nervous after he had reacted badly to the sight of her.

"Wh-what?" she asked.

"So then, the whole village situation...must be pretty tough for you. Fairy Tail's reputation is at stake...so we'll definitely get things back to normal around here." Natsu promised.

"He might be thoughtless at times, but he's good to his word." Rette assured Flare.

"Rette, are you feeling alright? You're really pale." Wendy said in concern as she looked up at Rette.

"She's right. You're not feeling sick again are you?" Lucy asked, pressing a hand to Rette's forehead.

"Not for the reason you're thinking. There was some magic earlier that kept switching Natsu and I between our current bodies and those of our childhood selves. When it happened the first time, I had a lot of really strong and vivid flashbacks to my childhood. It's made me feel a little sick, but I'll be fine." Rette assured them.

"So we weren't the only ones." Lucy said.

"Is your hair longer, Rette?" Wendy asked.

Rette reached up. It seemed that when she had last switched back, her hair hadn't been returned to the super short style she had had it in. It now reached to her chin.

"Yeah. When I was little my hair use to be so long, it would trail on the ground behind me as I walked. Apparently that was too much hair to keep switching back and forth between. It's fine." Rette said. "More importantly, we need to think of how to return the village to normal."

"The eternal flame might be able to get the village back to normal." Wendy said.

"So Flare is going to guide us to it." Lucy added.

"I see...I could've sworn I heard a voice coming from this mountain though." Natsu said, turning to look up at the mountain.

With all the changing back and forth, Rette hadn't noticed that they had arrived at the base of the mountain. She looked up at it.

"That's not a mountain." Flare said. "That's the village's guardian...the eternal flame."

Rette let out a whistle as she leaned back to look at the very top. What they had thought was a mountain, was really the frozen form of the flame itself. That was a lot of fire.

"How's that not a mountain!?" Natsu asked.

"That giant flame is frozen solid...that's why it looks like a mountain." Lucy remarked. "We placed our hopes on the eternal flame returning the village to normal but if even the flame itself is frozen, then-"

"Guys, look out!"

Everyone turned when Gray's voice sounded cutting Lucy off. They turned to find Gray running their way, Happy, Carla, and Thyme behind him. Behind them...came some kind of huge, one eyed bird that looked like it was hungry.

"What is that!?" Lucy yelled.

"I don't know, but it definitely wants to eat us!" Happy cried.

"Gray! Knock it out or something!" Natsu yelled.

"I can't use magic power I don't have." Gray retorted. "But...perhaps I could melt the ice around here..."

Gray...could melt the ice?

"Really?" Flare asked.

"That's awesome! You can actually melt this crap!?" Natsu asked.

"Not entirely sure...but I'll sure as hell try!" Gray told him.

"Cool! Me and Rette will take care of this friggin' bird then!" Natsu said.

"Leave it to us." Rette agreed. "The mountain is the flame."

"What?!" Gray yelled, looking up at the mountain.

"Can you do it?" Natsu asked.

"Hell yeah!" Gray replied.

"Then let's take care of our business." Rette said.

Gray held up his hands, Rette and Natsu slapping his hands with their own as if they were tagging into a fight. Rette and Natsu shared a look before, with a kick off, the two launched themselves into the air, both landing a solid kick to the bird's single eye. The combined force sent the bird rocketing backwards, but with a simple flare of its wings, the bird came back at them, catching the two of them in its talons. It swung its foot up, sending Rette and Natsu flying into the air.

"Natsu! Rette!" Lucy cried in concern.

"We're good! The ice...the eternal flame has to be restored!" Natsu replied.

"Natsu!"

Natsu turned to Rette as she held her hands out. The two linked their hands, and with as much force as they could muster, they hit the bird with linked fists. The bird went flying toward the ground. Rette conjured her wings of light and caught Natsu to keep him from following the bird down.

Down below, Gray focused on melting the ice. By channeling the magic of the ice through his body, he was able to melt the ice...only for there to be no flame. It was gone, leaving only bare ground behind. They all stared in horror.

"The flame is...gone..." Lucy gasped.

"There's still residual magic! I can feel it...there's still a flame there!" Rette called below.

"She's right! It's not gone! There's still some strong residual thought! It's proof that it's still alive!" Wendy said.

"'Alive'? What is?" Carla asked.

"There...look!" Lucy called, pointing.

In the center of where the flame should have been, rested an altar. In the center of the altar, was a small flame, still burning brightly despite its small size.

"Natsu can...Natsu can definitely restore that flame!" Wendy called.

Lucy whipped around, looking upward where Rette and Natsu were still fighting with the bird. She called out his name.

"Hell yeah! I got it!" Natsu yelled before turning to Rette who was currently on the bird's back. "Rette!"

"Got it!"

Rette used her conjured wings to upset the bird, spinning it in mid air. She then shot free of the bird. Natsu latched onto it's tail and with a swing, sent it flying down towards the ground. It was then that they learned about a special little ability of the bird. It's one eye lit up, trapping Natsu in a laser of some sort. With that, it was able to swing Natsu down, dragging him across the ground towards a giant. At the last moment, Natsu let loose an explosion that blew him away from the giants.

"Natsu!" Rette called.

Natsu turned as Rette flew into his flight path and offered him her feet to use as a spring board. His feet meet hers and with a kick off from them both, Natsu rocketed back towards the bird, hitting it hard. His next attack sent the bird, alight with fire, crashing into the fire altar below. Rette landed on the ground along side the others as Natsu let loose one fire burst after another, hitting what was left of the eternal flame with as much fire power as possible.

He was probably over doing it if the trembling of the ground was any indication of that. Rette raised her arms, shielding her face from flying bits of rock and the smoke his attacks raised. With one finally blast, the fire roared to life. What came out of the flames, had a small smile curling the ends of her mouth. Now she knew what felt so familiar.

"It's him...Atlas Flame." Rette said, looking up at the fire dragon that appeared in the depths of the fire.

"That's..."

"One of the dragons that came out from the Eclipse Gate." Wendy said, finishing the sentence for Gray.

"So it should have gone back four hundred years." Carla remarked.

"Four hundred years...yes...for four hundred years I have continued to burn strong." Atlas Flame said.

"So you're still alive, uncle." Natsu said.

"Alive? No...that isn't entirely correct." Atlas Flame corrected.

"What we're seeing is a form I brought forth with my Milky Way spell." Wendy explained.

"That means..."

"I am no longer of this world. But that is something from the distant past." Atlas Flame said, confirming what Carla had been about to say.

"I don't think he's firing on all cylinders." Gray remarked.

"My awareness...or rather, memory, it's all a bit...jumbled...hmm...this...I..."

Atlas Flame couldn't seem to get his mind all together. Rette knew the feeling, really she did.

"Pull yourself together, Uncle." Natsu told him.

"I remember...Igneel's son." Atlas Flame said finally.

"What do you mean? Zirconis' memory was much more lucid!" Carla said.

"It's probably because of the ice. Right, Wendy?" Rette remarked.

"Yes. At its core, residual thought may be based on strong will but it's still a very fragile magic. By being frozen from the ice magic for so long, part of his memories have clearly been damaged." Wendy agreed.

"Ice...yes, ice. The world was covered in ice." Atlas Flame remarked.

"Uncle, are you talking about the village?" Natsu asked.

"What happened, please tell us." Flare pleaded.

"Hmm...that guy, I...mistook him for something else." Atlas Flame told them.

"That guy?" Lucy asked.

"Yes...a single human changed the world to ice." Atlas Flame answered.

"One mage did all that to the village?" Lucy asked.

"Wh-why would he?" Flare demanded.

"That man thought...he thought I was a demon. He froze the entire village to eradicate me. An exorcist mage...a Devil Slayer."

With these words from Atlas Flame, Rette's hand flew up to her throat, as if she was taken off guard by the idea. Her fingers twitched as they touched the choker around her neck. A Devil Slayer? She had never heard of such a thing. There was magic to defeat dragons, magic to defeat gods...and now magic to defeat demons.

"Hmm...it's all a bit...foggy...I am...what was I..." Atlas Flame mumbled.

"You are the guardian of this village! The flame of the giants!" Flare told him, dropping to her knees to bow to him. "Somehow, I beg of you! Shine your light upon this village once more! Please save this village!"

For a moment Atlas Flame only stared down at her. Then he spoke.

"I am...yes. My name is Atlas Flame. I created this village. My village's misfortune is my pain...my village's sorrows are my tears. I...hold the lingering scent of my final spirit along with the fire of Igneel's son. I shall set this village free. I am the fire dragon Atlas Flame. The guardian dragon of this village!" Atlas Flame roared.

With his roar, a wave of heat burst outward. Rette grit her teeth as the heat hit her, almost knocking her off her feet.

"Igneel...dragon king...Acnologia...Zeref...the second Dragon Queen...I remember...I remember it all. The most vile dark magic from the Book of Zeref...E.N.D. Four hundred years ago...Igneel was unable to destroy E.N.D. The second Dragon Queen...there are many who would wish for her end. It can't be allowed. She will save the dragons that follow her." Atlas Flame said as a final parting.

All over the village, the ice melted, freeing the inhabitants of the village from their frozen prison. And with this final act, Atlas Flame's spirit passed on.

"Atlas Flame's residual memories have completely vanished." Wendy said.

"To think he'd be able to muster up that much power with what little spirit he had left." Lucy remarked.

"Be they human or dragons...everyone can muster up more power than you think to save those they love. Even if that means using the last of their own life to do so. To protect what's dearest to them...even I would be willing to give up my life to protect those I love." Rette remarked as she watched the flames burn.

Those words, the way she phrased it, had her friends turning to stare at her. "Give up my life to protect those I love", she said. The words had a really bad feeling settling in the pit of Natsu's stomach.

Hopefully it didn't come to that.

-0-0-0-0-

After everything was said and done, the giants invited them to join them for a celebration. It was during this celebration when Rette and her teammates agreed that the one responsible for the ice, had to be from Tartarus, the last remaining, major dark guild. Flare was reunited with her adoptive family, the giants welcoming her back as if she had never left.

The smile Flare had sported, was one of the brightest Rette had ever seen.

While the other had fun with the giants, laughing and joking until the first rays of dawn, Rette couldn't forget the ominous words foretelling of Tartarus' coming appearance. Something about the dark guild, just hearing it's name, made Rette's skin crawl. She didn't know why, and truth be told...she didn't want to. The guild was a problem that didn't, yet, involve her. She would only worry about it if, and when, it involved her in some way.

The next day, they returned to Warrod's, where they told him of their success with the village. Warrod was over joyed.

"I knew sending you guys was the right decision. How nice, how nice!" Warrod cheered.

"It was a piece of cake." Natsu said.

"I'm just relieved that we finished Warrod's request without further incident." Erza said.

"Personally, I don't know how we accomplish things like this sometimes. It completely blows me away how we manage to get in and out of these kinds of situations." Rette remarked. "And after seven years of not having to handle situations like this, I'm out of practice. It makes me feel old."

On the first half, Rette had a point. They did manage to find themselves in some of the craziest, most absurd situations at times, and yet, they always came out of it in one piece. On the second half...they could only grin and hide laughs.

"It really caught us off guard when we found out that Tartarus was involved though." Wendy remarked.

"Hm...I wouldn't worry too much about them...let the senate handle the investigations regarding that." Warrod told them. "More importantly, there's still the matter of your payment."

They watched as Warrod turned and dug through something, turning back around with a potato in his hand. He claimed that was their payment only to turn around and say it was a joke. After everything in the village and the bad jokes, Rette felt like she could use a nice long soak in a hot bath. Thankfully, Warrod told them of a nearby, natural hot spring. The girls decided to take the chance to take a soak. The view, when they reached it, was breath taking.

"As expected of Warrod, to know of a secret hot spring like this." Erza remarked, dipping a hand into the water.

"Look Wendy! It says this place is not only good for your health but works wonders on your physical beauty as well." Carla pointed out.

"Some of us don't need that." Rette remarked, glancing in Erza's direction.

Rette sat her towel down on the side of the spring where it could remain dry, and slipped into the water, the others joining her. Rette sank down in the water with a sigh.

"There's nothing like taking a dip after an assignment." Lucy remarked.

"On that, I have to agree." Rette said.

"It helps rejuvenate a tired body and soul, allowing us to face our future trials refreshed." Erza agreed.

"I can't help but feel bad for Natsu and Gray." Wendy said.

"They'll be fine. I doubt they have any interest in a hot spring anyways." Carla told her.

"I don't know about that. It might not be the hot spring so much that would interest them." Rette remarked.

She had been so relaxed in the hot water that she hadn't bothered to keep tabs on the magical energies around her. So when the next voice spoke, she jolted to alertness.

"Shows how much you know." came Natsu's voice.

"We can enjoy stuff like this from time to time as well." Gray's voice joined in.

All of the girls turned to the far end of the spring where Natsu, Gray, and Happy sat. With a scream, Wendy turned her back to the boys, ducking down while Lucy threw things at the two. Rette snatched her towel and plastered it to the front of her body, not caring that it got wet.

"Why the hell are you in the female baths!?" Lucy demanded.

"We were here first." Natsu said idly.

"You guys were the ones that came in after us!" Gray added.

"A true gentleman would have left the moment he saw women arrive, not just sit there as if nothing were wrong." Rette retorted.

"Oh? I did tell you it was unisex hot spring, didn't I?"

The new voice had them whipping around to where Warrod was getting into the spring. Rette pressed the towel more firmly to her body. She was usually very comfortable in her own skin. Her lack of proper clothes was enough to show that. But she was completely naked at the moment. The difference was that, even with so little covering, her clothes hid what needed to be hidden.

"Guys, just...get out for a bit." Lucy said, hugging Wendy to her.

"That's right! It's embarrassing!" Wendy agreed.

"We've seen your naked bodies lots of times already though." Natsu said.

"Honestly, the novelty of it wore off a while ago." Gray added.

"You've never seen **me** naked." Rette snapped.

"Yeah, but you lose your tops all the time." Natsu remarked. "All we haven't seen is the lower half."

With this, Natsu idly reached out, pulling back the bottom corner of Rette's towel, like he was trying to sneak a peek. Rette hit him across the head as hard as she could before dunking his head under the water and holding it there for a moment, making Natsu flail his arms about.

"Just because you haven't seen it doesn't give you the right to try to look!" Rette told him when she finally let him come up for air. "Only a woman's lover should see such things."

"Ah well, it's nothing to lose your composure over. We are all comrades here, a little skinship is normal." Erza remarked.

"You are far too casual for this." Rette told her.

Erza stood up, baring herself in all her glory as she walked towards the boys.

"I used to get into the baths with Natsu and Gray all the time." Erza said.

From the looks on the two boys' faces...it wasn't a memory that they liked. Natsu and Gray tried to get away from Erza as she tried to get them to let her wash their backs.

"Hahaha, aren't comrades the best?" Warrod asked.

"This has nothing to do with you!" Lucy snapped.

"You don't know, Lucy?" Rette asked.

Lucy turned to look at Rette, a questioning look on her face. Warrod grinned.

"Now that you mention it...I haven't told you guys yet." Warrod said, lifting his left arm up out of the water.

There, stamped on his skin...was the Fairy Tail emblem. All of Rette's friends stared in shock as they saw the stamp.

"He's one of the founding members of the guild along with Master Mavis. I read it in one of the books in the guild's archives." Rette remarked.

"You knew this whole time and didn't say anything!?" Gray asked.

"I thought you all knew. All of you, save Wendy and Carla, had joined the guild long before I ever did." Rette replied. "But think about it...it explains why Master was so anxious for us to do a good job on this request."

Now that Rette pointed it out, it did make sense. Warrod agreed with her that it was all true.

"It is safe to assume that is the reason why you requested Natsu, Gray, and Rette?" Erza asked from where she was scrubbing Natsu's back.

"Hmm...pretty much. When you entered my home, I caught a nostalgic whiff of the guild's wooden smell...just kidding. To have met you young fairies, really made my heart skip a beat. The peace that Mavis sings about...Fairy Tail, a guild with bonds between the souls of mages which are even thicker than blood. That spirit carries on even now, and you have all succeed that. That very spirit will become the key to your successes and triumphs, I felt that, in the moment I met you all. Mavis once said, comrade isn't simply a word. Comrades are about heart. It's the unconditional trust in your partners. Please, feel free to lean on me and I, too, will lean on you as well." Warrod told them.

It sounded like something that Mavis would say.

"The words that created Fairy Tail...it really hits you deep...brings a tear to your eye." Lucy remarked.

"Though, in truth, there was another reason I requested one of you." Warrod said.

"Another reason for one of us? Who?" Rette asked.

"You."

Warrod turned and looked directly at Rette, surprising her and making her plaster her towel more firmly against herself.

"Me? Why?" Rette asked.

"I was curious when I heard of the type of magic you use, but I was more so when I heard about your eyes." Warrod told her.

"My eyes?"

Rette never had a good feeling in her stomach when someone wanted to see her because of her eyes. They were, after all, one of the few physical traits she had from her father. Warrod locked his eyes on hers.

"They're a pretty color, not one naturally found on this continent. You aren't from Ishgal, are you, Rette?" he asked.

Rette jolted a little as attention was brought completely to her. Her shoulders hunched slightly and her expression completely went blank before their eyes. It was a defensive reaction, her friend knew that.

"My mother was...but no, I'm not. I don't really know where I was from. I only remember crossing a great stretch of sea before I came to this continent." Rette admitted.

"I see. Though it is still rare, there is a small island nation a great distance from this continent in which there have been people known for the magenta color of their eyes. Those rare individuals, as legends and myths say, are suppose to have a more vast store of magic and are suppose to be able to use grand and great magic beyond our imaginations. Which was why I was curious when I heard of the nature your magic takes. I have seen one or two people like you in my life, but I have never seen any with lavender mixed in." Warrod said. "I assume that was from your mother?"

"So I'm told. She died when I was only a few days old." Rette replied.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Warrod told her.

"Yeah...so was I." Rette admitted.

"And I assume you would prefer not to talk about the marks of the Banesbloud clan on the backs of your hands?"

When Warrod said this, Rette looked down, forgetting that she wasn't wearing her gloves. She twisted her hand up in the towel as best as she could while still covering herself.

"You would be right." Rette said lowly.

"There is no reason for you to be so defensive. If there was one thing I learned in my time in Fairy Tail, it was that everyone who comes to Fairy Tail has something in their past that they aren't proud of or would rather forget. It is why no one in Fairy Tail will ever judge another for what they have been through." Warrod told Rette.

"So you say, but there are some sins, some stains, that can never fully be washed away or accepted." Rette muttered lowly.

"Rette?" Lucy asked, turning to look at her.

"It's nothing. Just muttering to myself." Rette said, sinking into the water until she was sitting, the water up to her nose.

The look on her face said, plain as day, that she didn't want to talk anymore. The others accepted that and the conversation moved away from Rette. It was then that something finally caught Natsu's attention.

"Wait, so that means..you're even older than Gramps!?" Natsu asked, turning to look at Warrod.

"That's rude, Natsu." Erza told him.

"That means...if he's been around that long...he might know about E.N.D and the demons." Natsu told her.

"E.N.D? Demise?" Warrod asked.

"Apparently it's got something to do with Zeref's book of demons." Natsu told him. "My dad, the dragon, tried to defeat it or something."

"The Book of Zeref...another unsettling word." Warrod remarked.

"If I know what E.N.D is then I might be able to figure out where Igneel is...I think, anyway." Natsu said.

"That's what Atlas Flame told us." Wendy added in.

"My apologies, but I have no idea. But when you told me about Tartarus this afternoon, I remembered something. We know next to nothing about the true form of their guild. Not of their base of operations, their members, or even their actual numbers. But from various people who claim to have witnessed their meetings...they all say...those gatherings are a worshipping for demons." Warrod said.

Rette wanted to call a big, fat "nope" right then and there.

Nope, nope, nopity-nope-nope!

She **did not** mess with demon worshippers. That was a bunch of people that it was just insane to mess with them. There was no telling what they might do and Rette had enough crap in her life.

"This is a prophecy from the Four Heavenly Kings of Ishgal, so take it for what it's worth. It's possible they have the Book of Zeref in their possession." Warrod added.

Rette shivered despite the warm water all around her. Whenever Zeref came up in a conversation, her first instinct was to back out and run. She didn't want to be caught up in something involving the dark mage. And to hear that a guild might be in possession of the Book of Zeref...Rette could already feel the goosebumps spreading over her skin.

"So you don't know jack shit about where it is! Damn it!" Natsu yelled, pounding his fist against the nearest surface. "When I find them, I'll make them spit it all out! I'll give 'em some of this! And some of that!"

Everyone, by now, was focused on Natsu, most of them watching with horrified looks on their faces. Natsu didn't even realize what he was doing, which made it so much worse.

"Oi...Natsu..." Gray called.

"What?" Natsu asked.

Rette pointed downward, making Natsu look down...to where Erza lay on the ground, bruises already rising on her skin from where he had beat his fists against her without noticing it.

It was in that moment that Natsu knew...he had fucked up.

END

Kyandi: Another chapter. I'm sad though. And frustrated.

Rette: Because of the final chapter of Fairy Tail?

Kyandi: YES!

Rette: Kyandi-sama is sad because of the way the story ended.

Kyandi: They way they ended it left so many questions! It was just like a freaking cliff hanger!

Rette: How about we wrap up the chapter and then you can go rant...again.

Kyandi: Right! Everyone, please enjoy and review. You're all going to love the next chapter.

Rette: We'll return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	22. Parenthood

Kyandi: Howdy, Kyandiacs, I'm back!

Rette: We apologize for the wait.

Kyandi: Yeah, there's been a lot going on. But we have returned.

Rette: There are announcements, of course, but if you read this time line, you probably read the other one too and the announcements were announced on that one, too.

Kyandi: I'm in a bit of a hurry, right now, so I'm not typing it all out again. Sorry!

Rette: Then shall we get on with it?

Kyandi: Yep. Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 22 Parenthood

After all the chaos and...liveliness, of her last request, when Rette got back home, she decided it would be best to focus on a request that didn't have her paired up with one of her usual teammates.

For the sake of her sanity, that is, or...what remained of it.

But first, she was going to take a little time off and just work in the guild hall. Or...so she told herself, that is. It didn't quite work out that way. Then again, nothing ever really worked out the way she wanted it to.

"Rette!"

Rette turned and leaned over the second floor rail, a tray of plates in her hands. Down below, Mira was looking up at her, a wide smile on her face.

"What is it?" Rette asked.

"Is Laxus up there?" Mira asked.

Rette turned and scanned those who were on the second floor, sitting at the tables there and talking. Towards the back of the room, Laxus sat at a table with Freed and Bixlow. The three were talking with no sign of Evergreen. Rette turned back to look down at Mira.

"Yeah, he's here." she replied.

"Grab him and come down. There's a job request for the two of you." Mira called.

Sitting down her tray, Rette made her way across the room. The three males looked up at her as she laid a hand on Freed's and Bixlow's shoulders.

"I hate to take him from you, Freed, Bixlow, but Mira's calling for Laxus and I." Rette told them.

"No problem. He's all your's." Bixlow said, his dolls repeating, "No problem".

Laxus raised an eyebrow at her as he climbed to his feet. Rette merely shrugged her shoulders and turned, Laxus following behind her.

"What does Mira want?" he asked.

"There's a job request that's asking for the two of us." Rette explained.

Since the Grand Magic Games, Rette had received several jobs requesting her. Rette hadn't had to search for jobs recently and since she was smart about her spendings, her savings were growing considerably. Laxus, it seemed, had been the same way as of late.

Then there had been the last job she took. She was happy to go on a job that didn't involve Natsu and Gray. The two were waning on her nerves with their constant fighting. The two couldn't be around each other for more than two minutes without bickering like a couple of children.

But then there was the grin that curled Laxus' lips at the mention of them having to do a job together. Rette glanced up at him and heaved a silent sigh. Of course he would be delighted. Since their "date" during the Grand Magic Games, he had been constantly seeking out another. Rette merely chose to ignore the pleased look on his face as they descended the stairs. Mira was waiting for them at the bottom.

"Here you go. Have fun." Mira told them, handing the request to Laxus and giving Rette a wink.

"Whatever you're thinking Mira, stop thinking it." Rette called after her as she walked away.

Mira merely waved a hand over her shoulder. Lately, Rette had found out that some of their guild mates actually "shipped" her with Laxus and they had come up with the combined name, LaxEtte, for them. The biggest shippers of LaxEtte were Freed, Bixlow, Evergreen, Mira, Lisanna, and, believe it or not, Erza. The group had taken every chance to try to push Rette and Laxus together. It didn't make things easier when Laxus was all for it and never, even once, protested.

It was even worse that Rette, herself, was running out of excuses to protest.

And with Thyme gone on a mission with Wendy and Carla at the moment, Rette would be forced to do this job with just her and Laxus. She wasn't sure if she was looking forward to the alone time with him.

"What is this?"

Rette looked up at Laxus as he stared at the request in his hands. His brows were furrowed in confusion.

"What is it?" Rette asked.

Laxus turned, heading for an open table as he looked at the request.

"Half of it is written in strange language. The other half says, "Solve the riddle of this poem"." Laxus replied.

"Poem?" Rette asked.

Laxus started reading the words the best he could as he lowered himself to sit at the table. Rette came up behind him, laying a hand on his shoulder so she could lean over his shoulder to peer at the paper. Her eyes scanned the request. It just took one look for her to recognize the language and the meaning behind the words. By the time she opened her mouth to warn Laxus, he had reached the end of the so called, "poem".

"Laxus, don't! It's a sp-"

The letters on the request lit up then and, before Rette could finish her sentence, there was an explosion of light and smoke. The explosion shook the room, sending Rette crashing into Laxus, knocking him out of his seat. She ended up sprawled in his lap as coughing rang out from around them. Rette waved the smoke out of her face.

"I was trying to tell you that it's a spell." Rette said, shifting so that she was sitting in his lap.

"So what was it suppose to do?" Laxus asked.

"Give it a minute. You're about to find out." Rette retorted.

When the smoke cleared, it revealed...a small boy sitting on the floor in front of Rette and Laxus. The child looked to be about four or five and had an ashy shade of blonde colored hair and wide eyes much like Laxus' but with the same two toned magenta and lavender as Rette's. The little boy looked around him, blinking, until his eyes landed on Rette and Laxus. His eyes widened with joy and he threw himself at Rette.

"Mama! Daddy!" he squealed.

"Say what!?"

The two words rang out throughout the guild hall as the child nestled himself against Rette's chest. While Rette was alright with Asuka now, she had no idea what to do with this child that had just claimed her to be his mother.

"Rette?" Laxus asked, his eyes wide and set on child hugging her.

"The spell on the request...it's a spell that suppose to bring to life any possible future children of the speaker of the spell and the nearest person to them of the opposite gender. In this case...you and me." Rette told him.

It took Laxus a moment to process this. When he finally did, his eyes flew between Rette and the child as the boy grinned up at Laxus. This boy, this child...was suppose to be his!?

"...xus...Laxus...Laxus!"

It took Rette snapping her fingers in his face to get his attention. Laxus flinched slightly, focusing in on Rette who was currently trying to accommodate a toddler climbing all over her.

"If anyone should be spacing out and freaking out, it should be me." Rette told him.

Erza offered Rette a hand up then. Wrapping an arm around the wiggling toddler, Rette took Erza's hand, letting her pull her up.

"How are you so calm?" Laxus asked, getting to his feet.

"I've been helping Bisca and Alzack with Asuka for the last five years. Handling a child doesn't scare me as much as it did seven years ago." Rette replied.

"Mama! It's Uncle Natsu!" the little boy squealed before yanking himself out of Rette's arms.

He climbed over her shoulder, pushing her head forward as he jumped from her shoulder and went flying at Natsu. Natsu, shocked, lost his balance when the boy hit him square in the face, latching onto his head. Natsu stumbled around, trying to pull the boy off his head. Rette, flattening her hair against her head, turned to watch Natsu as he stumbled around. The boy was grinning as he tormented Natsu. Laxus chuckled.

"Oh yeah...that's my kid." he said, almost proudly.

Rette looked up at him as he grinned. One might actually think him a proud papa when he grinned like that. Rette simply shook her head at the whole thing.

"Kid, get off me!" Natsu snapped.

"My name isn't "kid", Uncle Natsu! It's Yuri!" the boy proclaimed proudly. "Mama named me, so get it right!"

All eyes turned to Rette who raised her shoulders in a shrug. Though, if she was being honest, if she actually did have a son with Laxus...she would name him Yuri. It was the name of Laxus' great grandfather. As Natsu growled, everyone turned back to Natsu who was having a difficult time trying to get Yuri off his head.

"How long does the spell last?" Levy asked from a nearby table.

Rette picked up the request and read over it again.

"It's says half a fortnight, so...one week." Rette replied before heaving a sigh.

Rette turned to where Makarov was watching Natsu with a grin on his face. Bracing a hand on her hip Rette waved the request in the air.

"Master, please tell me you know a way to undo this spell." Rette begged.

Makarov turned to look at Laxus and Rette. Laxus stood behind Rette, shaking his head, while Rette was focused on Makarov. Rette wanted to undo the spell, but Laxus was willing to deal with any excuse to spend more time with Rette. Even if that meant dealing with a child.

It could be a growing experience for the both of them.

"Sorry, but no, I don't. Looks like the two of you are just going to have to work it out." Makarov replied, picking up his mug.

The look on Rette's face, had many people breaking out in laughter. Her eyes widened and her mask completely fell away to show her disbelief. Laxus grinned as he looked down at her. Rette's shoulders slumped. While she had practice with Asuke...that was only a few hours a day. Not all day and night!

"...I feel a headache coming..."

Saying that, Rette dropped to sit in a chair, pressing a hand to her face. She didn't even know where to start with this. First off, there was the whole issue of where the kid would stay, what they would do about clothes, and what she would do with him while she was working. Of course, this all ran through her head without her ever considering Laxus' help.

"Mama?"

Yuri, having looked over at his "parents", let go of Natsu's head and hurried over to Rette, climbing into her lap. Reaching up, he pulled her hand from her face. There was a worried look on his face.

"Mama, is something wrong?" he asked.

"No..."

Yuri's bottom lip suddenly poked out and he plopped down to sit in her lap, his eyebrows snapping down. It was a look that she really could see being on Laxus' face.

"Mama, that's your lying tone. Daddy says so." Yuri complained.

Rette stared at Yuri. Even to her ears, her tone sounded the same as it always did. How could Laxus, let alone this child, hear a difference?

"I'm not lying." Rette replied. "I'm tired. There's a difference."

Yuri's bottom lip came out even more as he crossed his arms. Rette decided that it might be best to call it a day. Just figuring out how to care for him for a week was going to take up her time.

"I think I'm calling it a day. We're going home Yuri." Rette said, picking him up and rising from her seat.

"What do you mean? We're suppose to do this together." Laxus remarked.

"We can figure everything else out tomorrow. For now, I'm taking him to my house." Rette retorted.

"We aren't staying with Daddy? I want to stay with Daddy!" Yuri complained, tugging on Rette's hair.

"Even if you say that, that's a bit too much. We don't live together." Rette muttered.

"I want to stay with Daddy!" Yuri complained, his voice rising.

Rette held the boy out at arms length so she could look him in the face.

"Lower your voice. We're going to my house." Rette told the child, firmly.

She had learned, in her time babysitting Asuka, that a firm voice was usually the key. Asuka knew not to argue when Rette used a firm tone. Yuri...obviously didn't.

"I want to stay with Daddy!" Yuri yelled.

"Yuri-"

"Daddy!"

"I said n-"

" **Daddy!** "

"Will you cut that o-"

" _ **DADDY!**_ "

Rette sensed the surge of magic from the child just a moment before lightning bolts raced from the child to Rette, shocking her. Silence fell over the guild hall, everyone turning to face Rette who now had char marks on her skin, her hair fizzing out from her head. She blinked a couple of times, as if she was trying to refocus her mind. Finally she focused in on Yuri who had tears in his eyes.

"Well...you are most **definitely** Laxus' son." Rette muttered.

Turning, she sat the boy in Laxus' hands before reaching up to attempt to tame her hair. The shock of electricity might have hurt more if Laxus hadn't spent the time since he came back, shocking her to get her attention. As it was, her muscles were protesting the mistreatment. Which was understandable.

She wanted to scream too.

Heaving a sigh, Rette turned her eyes to Yuri, who was clinging to Laxus' neck. He had a defiant look on his face, tears in his eyes as he sniffled. He wasn't going to give up until she gave in.

"...Fine, whatever. We'll stay together." Rette conceded.

Yuri's face lit up before, with a smile, he cheered, bouncing in Laxus' arms. Laxus handed Yuri to Mira for a moment before turning to Rette who was using some water Lucy brought her to try to make her hair lay flat.

"If we're doing this, we're staying at my place." Laxus said.

"What? Not a chance. My house has more room. There's more rooms so we'll be able to sleep in our own beds." Rette replied.

"Mama and Daddy have to sleep together! That's what Mamas and Daddys do!" Yuri chimed in, the pout back on his face.

Rette **really** did not feel like getting shocked again.

Nor did she really want to share a bed with Laxus. Though she had done that before...a long time ago. It wouldn't really make much more of a difference if she did it again.

Would it?

...

Yes, yes it would, but she couldn't say that to Laxus. He would never let her live it down if she admitted that she was now aware of the opposite sex enough to be uncomfortable with it.

"Fine. But why does it have to be your place?" Rette asked, turning to Laxus.

"I've seen your bed. Mine is bigger. If we tried sleeping at your place, we wouldn't fit in your bed." Laxus replied.

Rette stared at him for a minute before she clicked her tongue and turned her face away from him.

"Rats...I see your point." Rette muttered.

Laxus tried his hardest not to grin. While, yes, he was going to have to figure out how to be a father for a week, that couldn't put a damper on the fact that the mother was Rette and she was going to be staying in his house for a week, sharing his bed.

Rette...wasn't as enthusiastic.

-0-0-0-0-

This was...not what Rette was expecting.

Rette stared at the room around her as Yuri, giggling, took off running around the room. Laxus, unlike most of the members of the guild, didn't live in the guild dorms. Instead, he had made his home in one of the more luxurious, and pricey, apartments that Magnolia had to offer. Everything in the apartment was two things; big and flashy.

Which also described Laxus himself.

The rugs were high class animal skin, the tables were all crystal and finely worked metal, and all appliances were new and top of the line. There was even a collection of vintage wines and pieces of beautifully colored art work. Every room was large and spacious and just as flashily decorated as the main space. A peek in the bedroom showed her a large, king sized bed covered in rich, royal purple sheets.

The place made her house look like a shack inhabited by a poor person.

Something that really hurt considering she had a lot of pride in the home she had built for herself. She had bought, fully paid for, repaired, decorated, and transformed her house into a home that she had a lot of pride in and this apartment was making all that effort look like naught.

Laxus watched from doorway of the small front hall as Rette looked around her. Her brows were furrowed, her hands pressed to her stomach as she looked around. He had a pretty good idea on what she was thinking.

"Too flashy for you?" he asked.

"Not exactly. It just...It makes my house look so poorly put together." Rette remarked, her tone sounding a tiny bit dejected.

 **His** apartment made **her** house look poorly put together?

If truth be told...Laxus liked her house better. Yes, his apartment was big, yes it was flashy and luxurious, but Rette's house...felt like a home. Rette had put her heart and soul into her house. She had put everything she had into building herself a home worth going home to. She had picked every piece of furniture and appliances that had gone into the house, she had painted each wall herself, she had planted every plant that grew in and around the house, and she had filled the house with memories caught in photos.

Most of what was in Laxus' apartment had already been there when he had moved in. In his opinion...his apartment didn't hold a candle to her house. That aside, he wanted them in his apartment for a, in his opinion, good reason.

"I like your house. It feels like an actual home." Laxus remarked.

Rette turned wide and shining eyes on him. It was as if those two little sentences had both surprised her as well as delighted her.

"Really? You think so?" she asked.

"Yeah. It's a place I can see a family being raised in." Laxus replied.

Rette's eyes only grew in size as well as shine. It was easy to tell that her house was her pride and joy. A funny thing on an average person, but for someone like Rette, who had never really had a home, to be able to build her own and then to have someone compliment it, was the highest praise she could get.

"Really...that's great." she said lowly, a bright smile on her face.

If he had known that complimenting her house would put such a bright smile on her face, he would have done it a long time ago. Rette with a full blown smile on her face, was stunning. It effectively took the breath from Laxus' lungs.

Just then, Yuri launched himself at Rette, taking a flying leap for her gut. This managed to knock Rette over, sending her tripping over a foot stool and making her land on her back in the floor.

"Mama! The bed is bouncy!" Yuri exclaimed, sitting on Rette's chest.

"You're not suppose to be jumping on the bed...or **me**." Rette told him.

Laxus walked over to them, picking Yuri up with one arm and helping Rette to her feet with the other. Yuri was snickering behind his hands, a huge grin on his face. Rette pointed a finger at him and gave him a stern look, but it only made the child giggle even more. Yuri suddenly looked at his stomach before looking back at Rette.

"Mama...I'm hungry." he complained.

Rette turned her eyes to Laxus.

"Please tell me you have a full stocked kitchen." she said.

"Yeah. You going to cook?" he asked.

"Yep. You have the job of keeping **that one** out of trouble."

Rette pointed to Yuri, who giggled and turned to hide his face in Laxus' chest like he knew he was the culprit his "mother" was talking about. Laxus grinned. He was sure he could handle the little boy long enough for Rette to cook. Rette left them in the living room and went into the kitchen. Rette started cooking while Laxus set Yuri on the couch.

"Daddy! How did you and Mama meet?" Yuri asked instantly.

"We're in the same guild." Laxus answered.

"I know that, Daddy! But when did you first meet Mama?"

Laxus dropped to sit on the couch beside Yuri, letting his mind drift back to try to locate the first time he had first ever laid eyes on Rette.

"It was when the old man sent you and Erza after Natsu and them when they ran off with an S-rank job, right Rette?" Laxus called out.

"Yes, I do believe so. You were upstairs, angering Mira because of your lack of concern for Natsu and the others." Rette replied.

"Right." Laxus said, rubbing the back of his neck.

He had been going through a late-age rebellious stage at that point in time. Rette had just been one of the people he had, personally, taken his anger out on during that time.

"What did you think of Mama, Daddy?" Yuri asked.

"Yes, Laxus, please share." Rette said, glancing over at him from where she stood at the kitchen counter.

How was he suppose to say this without having Rette throw something at him?

"I thought she was going to catch a cold with how little her clothes covered."

Rette gave Laxus an unamused look as Yuri broke into laughter. While the child was amused, Rette was not. But honestly, that had been one of the thoughts that had gone through his mind. The other one had been over how hot Rette was, but he wasn't going to say that one out loud and definitely not in front of a kid.

"You're not amusing, Laxus." Rette told him.

"Ooo! Mama's mad at you." Yuri sang.

"It's alright. She knows she likes me...even if it means your mama is a cougar." Laxus told the child.

Laxus ducked as a pan went flying over his head, hitting the wall behind him. Yuri broke out into giggles so fierce, he rolled onto his side, gripping his sides, his little feet kicking at the air. Rette gave Laxus a glare as he grinned back at her.

"Technically speaking, you're older than me." Rette told him.

"But biologically, you're now older than me." Laxus replied.

"By a year and a half! That does not make me a cougar because, one, a cougar is, at least, seven years older, and, two, **I am not into you**." Rette retorted.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Rette was half tempted to throw something else at him. He was still as infuriating as he had been before he had vanished. He just had a different way of getting to her now. Yuri was laughing at the two of them. Rette attempted to ignore them as she made dinner. By the time she had it finished and was moving it to the table, Laxus and Yuri were staring at her, just waiting for her to say it was done.

Heaving a sigh, she finally called them. Yuri jumped up off the couch and came running over to her, holding up his arms. Rette picked him up, sitting him on top of a couple of books she had sat in the chair so he could see over the table. Laxus went over to his bar, pulling out a bottle of wine. He insisted that they have a drink with dinner.

Rette declined.

"What's wrong? Afraid to get a little tipsy around me?" he asked.

"No. I just don't drink that much." Rette replied idly.

"Why? A little to handsy when you're drunk?" he asked.

"No."

Yes.

And too open about her feelings and thoughts, too. But Rette wasn't about to admit that to Laxus. She was already teased enough by him. She didn't need to add that to the list of material he could use against her.

"I bet you are." Laxus insisted.

"Just eat."

Rette ignored the laugh from Laxus. They ate dinner, Rette still refusing his offer of wine. When done, Rette gathered the dishes before Laxus could touch them. Laxus gave her a questioning look as she stacked the plates in her arms.

"I'll do the dishes. You get to give him a bath." Rette said, her chin jerking towards Yuri.

"Why me?" Laxus asked.

The look Rette gave him clearly said, "You're kidding, right?" before she heaved a sigh. She apparently thought it was obvious why she wanted him to do it.

"He's a little boy. Who better to bathe him than a man? I've seen enough of **that** part of the male anatomy thanks to Natsu and Gray. I have no wish to see anymore for a long time." Rette replied, making a vague gesture towards Laxus' lower body.

The fact that she was embarrassed to see a guy naked, wasn't what Laxus' mind locked in on. What it locked in on, was something completely different and it wiped the smirk off his face.

"You've seen Natsu and Gray naked?"

"Yes. They decided to get into the same hot spring as me on our last mission together." Rette replied idly, as if it was no big deal.

Laxus worked his jaw as Rette turned away from the table, carrying the dishes. He had, for the moment, forgotten about Yuri as he grew a little annoyed and somewhat jealous.

"They've seen **you** completely naked?" Laxus asked.

"Seeing how they were in the spring when I got in...probably. They didn't bother letting me know they were there until after I got in." Rette called back.

She conveniently forgot to add that Lucy, Wendy, and Erza had been there as well.

"That's beside the point though. I'm asking you to give Yuri a bath." Rette added.

"Oh, I'll give him a bath alright."

With that said, Laxus turned on his heel and marched away to the bathroom, Yuri on his heels. Rette wasn't sure she liked the way he had said that, but he was doing as she had asked of him, so she let it go. She turned to the sink, placing the dishes in one side before going in search of the dish soap. It took her a few minutes to find it and when she stood up from grabbing it out from under the sink, she turned to find Laxus behind her, looking determined. Rette looked up at him, one eyebrow raised in questioning.

"Wha-aahh! Laxus!"

Rette's question turned into a surprised yelp and a scolding as Laxus suddenly scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder. He turned on his heel and carried her from the room. Rette pushed against his shoulder, trying to get him to release her. Her reward for her attempt was that he shocked her...right in her backside. Rette yelped, stiffening for a moment before twisting to glare at the back of his head.

"Stop that! Put me down, Laxus." Rette demanded.

"Be quiet or I'll shock you again."

Rette instantly snapped her mouth shut. Laxus carried her through the bedroom and into the bathroom. Before Rette could say a word...he dumped her into the fully filled tub. The tub was large and deep, almost like those of the ones at the guild hall, so thankfully she didn't smack anything too hard. When she broke the surface of the water, she sputtered and shoved her wet hair out of her face. Yuri was giggling from the other end of the tub.

Rette rounded on Laxus to glare at him, only to find him stripping out of his clothes. When he reached for his belt, Rette's eyes widened and she slapped her hands over her eyes.

"Laxus! What are you doing!?" she demanded.

"Giving Yuri a bath." he replied.

"And you had to bring me in here, why?"

"We're making it a family bonding moment."

Family bonding moment her ass!

Rette insisted that she didn't need to be there for him to bathe Yuri, her eyes firmly held closed the whole time. Instead of replying, Rette heard Laxus get into the bath. She could almost **feel** him getting closer to her, she was so aware of his presence. Then he was right in front of her, his hands suddenly pulling at her clothes.

"What are you doing!?" Rette gasped for about the sixth or seventh time, yanking at his hands, her eyes still closed.

Laxus couldn't help but grin. She was so embarrassed that her face had gone red. Looking down at her with her eyes squeezed tight, her clothes drenched, her face red, and water glistening on her skin, he really wanted to kiss her. She wouldn't see it coming with her eyes closed. Though he wanted to, and was presented with the perfect chance, Laxus didn't. They had a little kid behind them after all. So he merely went back to pulling her wet clothes off.

The top was easy. A simple pull of the front knot and the scraf-like top came flying off, Rette instantly wrapping her arms around herself.

"You can't wear clothes in the bathtub." he told her.

"I'm not taking a bath with y-"

Rette was cut off as she was tipped over backwards, Laxus yanking her shorts off her. Her head broke the surface again, Rette gasping in air, but she remained crouched, hiding her body from him. Her eyes were still closed, her hands plastered over the closed lids.

"Rette, you can uncover your eyes." Laxus told her.

"No."

"Rette."

"I said no."

She heard Laxus heave a sigh before his large hands wrapped around her wrists, prying her hands away from her face. She squeezed her eyes closed all the more firmly.

"I said n-"

Regardless of Yuri watching them intently from the other end of the tub, Laxus dived forward, kissing Rette firmly on the mouth, cutting off her protest. When he broke the kiss, she was glaring up at him, her eyes finally open. Laxus grinned at her.

"You gave me the perfect opening." he told her.

"Jerk. Yuri's watching." Rette retorted.

"It was just a kiss. Not big deal. Right Yuri?" Laxus said, turning to the boy.

"Right!" Yuri agreed.

Rette just silently glared at Laxus, not moving from her crouched position. Laxus grinned at her as he sank to sit next to her. Rette turned her back to him, her arms still wrapped around herself.

"I don't know why you're so angry. It's not as if you haven't lost your top around me before." Laxus told her.

"There's a difference between losing my top for a few moments and ending up completely naked in a bath with you." Rette retorted.

"You did it with Natsu and Gray." Laxus pointed out.

"I wasn't the only one. Erza, Lucy, and Wendy were there along with Thyme, Happy, and Carla. Not to mention that I was covered with a towel pretty much the whole time." Rette snapped.

Laxus turned to look at her back. She had left that out earlier. Had he known that, he might have not made the impulsive decision to dump her in the bathtub.

Might.

Just then, Laxus' eyes snagged on something. Right between Rette's shoulders blades, where the skin normally remained hidden by whatever miniscule top she wore, there was a scar, jagged and thick. Just like the one on her ankle and the other on her stomach, he couldn't help but think that whatever had caused it must have been unbearably painful.

And he knew exactly who was responsible for it.

Laxus, his thoughts dwelling in the anger brought forth by another reminder of just how cruel Rette's father had been to her, remained silent through the rest of the bath and through dressing Yuri and putting him down for sleep. In an effort to keep the boy from throwing another thunderstorm fit, Rette and Laxus ended up laying in the same bed, Yuri curled into Rette's side, Laxus on the other side of the child from her.

Yuri was sound asleep when Laxus finally spoke.

"What caused the scar on your back?" he asked.

Rette had been staring at Yuri's sleeping face, idly stroking the child's hair as she watched him. It was strange at how easily she had picked up the maternal instincts, despite this whole thing being the result of a spell. When Laxus spoke, her eyes flickered up to his face. Laxus was propped up in a pile of pillows, his eyes fixed on the ceiling above. Her eyes returned to Yuri's face, her mind already picking out the facial features in common between Laxus and Yuri.

"It was the result of a fall into a pit with some sharp rocks in the bottom. My father threw me in as a punishment for refusing to hurt someone else. I was four at the time." Rette replied.

Laxus grit his teeth. He knew it had to be the work of her father. And Rette stated the whole thing as if it didn't matter. How could she be so laid back about the whole thing when it made him furious every time. He was sure the others were the same way.

"You know...he's the reason I'm afraid to be a mother."

Laxus turned his eyes to Rette, looking down at her as she continued to idly stroke Yuri's hair. Idly, with one finger, she traced the child's face.

"Why?" Laxus asked.

"I worry. I can't imagine being as cruel to my own child as he was to me and yet...I fear I will be." Rette replied, for once speaking one of the many fears she kept hidden behind her indifferent mask.

"You wouldn't." Laxus assured her, confident in his reply.

"You don't know that. Whether I like it or not, I am his child, Laxus. I have his blood in my veins. You know what they say, the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree."

Rette's finger ceased it's tracing when Laxus took hold of her hand. She turned her eyes up to his face as he leaned over Yuri to look her in the eye.

"Look at how you are with Yuri." he told her.

Rette's eyes turned towards the sleeping child as he shifted to bury his face in chest. Spell or not, Rette couldn't contemplate harming the child. It only further baffled her on how her father had been able to. Daily, at that.

"You don't have the cruelty, the insanity, in you that your father does." Laxus told her.

Rette's eyes came up to his face. She wanted to believe him, he could see that much in her eyes, but she didn't. Rette knew more about herself than he did and she knew what lurked at the very core of her being. What reared it's ugly head whenever she lost control over her temper.

She knew what the seal kept locked deep inside her.

Laxus stared in surprise as Rette twisted the hand he held until she could link her fingers through his. She gave his hand a squeeze, her eyes locking on their linked hands. She didn't know what to say to him, how to respond to his faith in her. All she could do was hold on to his hand and hope he understood that she was thankful but she couldn't agree with him.

She was sure the truth that she kept hidden, would send everyone around her, running for the hills. Especially those who were directly effected by people like her. That being said, she was grateful for Laxus' words. She couldn't begin to tell him how happy it made her that he thought so highly of her. Not that she would ever tell him anyway. It would just go straight to his head, the big dummy. But she was still grateful.

Laying her head against her pillow, Rette drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face and gripping Laxus' hand.

-0-0-0-0-

Laxus awoke the nest morning to something tickling his nose. He reached up to knock whatever it was away and realized, upon touching it, that it was Rette's hair. Opening his eyes and looking downward, he found Rette snuggled up to him, her head tucked under his chin, one leg tangled with his, and one arm draped over his side. Snuggled between them with a big grin on his face, was Yuri.

Both Rette and Yuri were sound asleep, Yuri snoring lightly.

It was both amusing and sweet, to look at the two.

Laxus' eyes went up to Rette's face. Her brow was pinched and her nose wrinkled, as if something in her dreams was displeasing her. Reaching out, Laxus smoothed her brow out with one thumb. At his touch, her features relaxed and she snuggled closer, burying her face in the skin of his neck. Not exactly an ideal position for him because her breath on his skin tickled, but he remained still, letting her sleep. He was just happy to be able to hold her without her trying to escape him.

Sadly, that only lasted about twenty minutes before Yuri awoke and instantly went about bouncing on the bed.

Rette opened her eyes to find herself held close to Laxus' chest, Yuri bouncing on the bed as he called for them to get up.

"We get it. Sit down." Laxus told the boy, his voice causing his chest to rumble under her ear.

Yuri did as told, bouncing one last time as he dropped to sit. Rette shifted, turning her face up to look at Laxus. She was surprised when, as soon as she did so, he gave her a quick and chaste kiss on the mouth. Rette frowned as he pulled back and grinned at her.

"Morning." he greeted.

"You know, that makes two kisses you've stolen since this whole thing started. How many more do you plan to take without permission?" she asked.

"Shall we find out?" he asked.

"No thanks. My stomach is demanding food." Rette replied.

"Breakfast!" Yuri cheered.

"And apparently, so is the child." Rette added.

Laxus got the picture and released Rette. Rette quickly rolled, coming smoothly to her feet beside the bed. She was almost knocked over again when Yuri launched himself at her. Rette had to scramble to catch him, her heart leaping into her throat at the thought of his falling and hitting something. When he was safely in her arms, she heaved a sigh. The child was going to be the death of the tiny pieces of her heart that were left.

Carrying Yuri, Rette went to the kitchen, Laxus staying behind to change clothes. When he joined them, Yuri was sitting at the table and Rette was working on eggs. With the ease of practice, she flipped the eggs onto plates, adding bacon, french toast, and hashbrowns. She sat the plates before Laxus and Yuri before taking a seat with her own.

This was one part about having Rette around that Laxus liked. She was a really good cook. Peering across the table at Yuri as the boy shoveled his breakfast down, Laxus turned to Rette.

"So what are we going to do with him?" Laxus asked.

"Well, I have work at the guild hall. Today I run errands. I guess he'll just have to come with me. I'm afraid if I leave him with you at the guild hall, Natsu's idiocy will rub off on him." Rette remarked, glancing at Yuri.

The little boy snickered while Laxus grinned. They both knew that what Rette was really worried about, was Yuri jumping on Natsu's head again and Natsu accidentally hurting the boy with his flames. Rette just wouldn't admit it.

After breakfast, Rette changed and the three of them headed for the guild hall, the boy sitting on Laxus' shoulders. This earned a few laughs when they got to the guild hall, but one look from Rette had everyone falling quiet. Rette made her way over to Mira and Makarov, Laxus following with Yuri.

"Morning, Master, Mira." Rette greeted.

"Morning. How'd last night go?" Mira asked.

"Considerably easier than I expected. Though, Laxus thought it would be funny to dump me, fully clothed, into a full bathtub when I asked him to give Yuri a bath." Rette remarked.

Laxus was so glad that she didn't see the need to tell them that he had also gotten into the bath and had stripped her. As it was, Makarov gave his grandson a scolding look while Mira giggled to herself.

"Anyway. Where's the list of things I need to pick up for the guild hall today?" Rette asked.

"I thought, since you were busy with other things, that I would run the errands today." Mira remarked, her eyes going to Yuri.

"No, it's fine. I'll just take Yuri with me." Rette replied. "I'm use to it after taking Asuka with me all those years."

"Why? Afraid to leave him with Laxus, unattended?" Mira asked, her eyes sliding over to Laxus.

"No. I'm afraid of leaving him with Laxus with Natsu around." Rette replied.

"I'll watch him, then."

Mira, Laxus, and Rette all three turned to look at Makarov.

"Master?" Rette asked.

"I may be old, but I can watch a little boy for an hour or two and keep him out of trouble and away from Natsu." Makarov told her.

"I wasn't doubting your abilities, Master." Rette assured him.

"Just go, Rette. Between Laxus and I, we can keep the boy out of trouble." Makarov assured her.

"Are you sure?" Rette asked, looking between Laxus and Makarov.

"We'll be fine." Laxus assured her.

"Alright."

Yuri waved to Rette as she took the list, grabbed Erza to help carry things, and left the guild hall. Things started off fine. For the most part, the guild was calm for most of the morning, but by the time Rette and Erza returned two hours later, the guild hall was a mess and Yuri was sitting in the middle of an area charred by lightning, a cut on one cheek, a couple of bruises littering his skin, and a grin on his face.

Rette's eye twitched as she looked at her magically spawned child. Walking over to the bar, she sat down the bags she was carrying and instantly turned on her heels to walk over to Yuri. She scooped the child up in her arms and turned his face to look at the cut. She examined every inch of him before she turned to look over the guild hall.

Everyone, or, at least, the wise members of the guild, were all hiding behind over-turned tables. Her eyes finally landed on Laxus who was dragging a beaten up Natsu behind him as he approached her. He didn't really like the cold look in Rette's eyes as she looked at him, but he didn't back down.

"Do I want to know what happened while I was gone, or why Yuri is injured?" Rette asked, coldly. "Because, if I remember correctly, you and Master said you could handle this for a few hours."

"Natsu went off the deep end...again. You'll be proud of your son, Rette. He zapped Natsu and was the one to put an end to the whole thing." Laxus replied, dumping Natsu on the ground.

Now that Rette got a good look at him, Natsu was covered in electrical burns and was unconscious, his hair sticking up all over the place. Rette didn't say anything, but Laxus saw the slight twitching of one corner of her mouth. Rette finally turned her eyes to Yuri and spoke.

"That's my boy."

END

Kyandi: I think you and Laxus with a child is adorable.

Rette: You're going to end up drawing this now, aren't you?

Kyandi: Eventually.

Rette: That's what I thought.

Kyandi: It'll be interesting to see what a child of your combined traits, would look like.

Rette: Maybe.

Kyandi: Anyway, I have other stories to work on, so everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	23. Calm Before The Storm

Kyandi: Greetings, Kyandiacs.

Rette: We apologize for being gone so long.

Kyandi: I currently don't have internet and it doesn't look like I'll have it back any time in the next month.

Rette: We use the library whenever we can get out that way.

Kyandi: Sadly, the nearest library to me, is about twenty miles out of my way.

Rette: So we'll try to update as often as we can.

Kyandi: With that said, let's jump into the chapter.

Rette: Right.

Kyandi: Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama doesn't own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 23 Calm Before The Storm

The following days were, in Rette's opinion, a little too eventful.

Everyday found Rette trying to juggle her work at the guild hall, keeping Yuri from tormenting Natsu, and walking around Laxus' apartment without him suddenly grabbing her and kissing her. It seemed that he honestly believed that since she was temporarily living with him, he could kiss her and touch her anytime he wanted. Every night he insisted they give Yuri a bath, together. If Rette refused, he would dump her in the tub all over again.

She would have been alright...if he hadn't forbidden her the use of her swimsuits.

In the morning, she would awake to find Yuri snuggled up to her and her body tucked into Laxus' side. Though she refused to say it aloud...she actually liked this part of Laxus' touchiness. For those brief moments when she woke up in the morning, she could pretend she was a normal woman, waking up to the man she liked(not love, because she wasn't sure it went that far), with a child she adored. She could almost fool herself into believing that she could have a normal life with love and a family of her own.

And then reality came crashing back in and she was forced to face the fact that she wasn't normal and had some horribly big secrets that she was sure would cause her guild mates to hate her. She wanted to ignore that little fact, but after the warning about her future, she was forced to think about it, at least, five times in the course of a day.

There was no ignoring that her past was about to catch up to her, anymore.

She was becoming jumpier than normal and she knew it. So, yes, as her guild mates had already guessed, she knew who her would-be killer was, and she was sure that if she explained at least a little of it to her guild mates, that they could help, but...there was so much to the story that she couldn't tell them. So much that she couldn't bring herself to utter out loud to anyone. Even Thyme didn't know.

She didn't want to drag them into something that had already caused her more grief in her life than she wanted to remember. To put it simply...her father wasn't the only demonic being that had haunted her life.

But that was beside the point. The point was that, while she did enjoy the time she got to spend with Laxus and Yuri, she knew it was going to come to an end. Until then, she had to find a way to manage the new addition of chaos in her life. And it was chaos. Just bringing Yuri to the guild hall guaranteed that the boy was going to find someway to latch himself to Natsu and torment him. It was amusing to see someone annoy Natsu like he annoyed others and it never got old to watch Natsu stumble around the guild hall trying to yank off a little boy who was yanking at his hair and biting his hands whenever Natsu reached for him.

It was also pretty sad to watch Natsu be so completely owned by a toddler.

There had been several times when Rette had to pause and bury her face in her hands as she tried to contain the laughter that was bubbling up in her chest. Natsu would finally figure out how to pry Yuri from his head and would then round on the child, highly annoyed. It was then that the rest of the guild got the laugh of their lives.

When Natsu would turn on Yuri and the child knew he was in trouble, he would then make a direct b-line for Rette, diving behind her legs, crying for his mother to save him from the big, bad Natsu. Natsu would then be confronted with an extremely angered Rette. Though her face would still be pleasantly blank, they could all see the fire burning in her eyes. If it had been some ridiculous cartoon, Rette's hair would have caught fire and horns would have sprouted from her temples.

Spell or not, Yuri was her child and Rette wouldn't stand for anyone possibly harming the boy.

All it would take was one look from Rette and Natsu would take off running in the opposite direction. Laxus would laugh the loudest at the whole thing, completely proud of his temporary family. Proud at the way Yuri tormented Natsu and proud at the way Rette would then scare the crap out of Natsu while defending the child like a true mama lion.

It was four days into their allotted seven and Laxus was sitting at the bar, grinning as he watched Natsu run away from Rette, Yuri grinning from behind Rette's legs. Yuri stuck his tongue out at Natsu, as if saying, "Haha, you can't do anything to me.". When Rette was sure that Natsu was clear on the other side of the room, she turned back to her work, Yuri clinging to one of her legs.

"I'm pleasantly surprised with how quickly she's adjusted to this."

Laxus turned his attention to Makarov who was sitting on the counter a few feet from his grandson. Grinning, Laxus turned his attention back to Rette as Yuri insisted on helping her carry dishes. Rette allowed it, giving him the lightest dishes to carry. Yuri gave Rette a huge grin when she handed him a wooden tray with silverware stacked on top.

"Yeah. Ironic considering she's sure she'd turn out like her old man if she ever had children of her own." Laxus replied.

Makarov glanced at him, curious about this. He sat his mug down, his attention fully on his grandson.

"She told you this?" he asked.

"Yeah. The first night, she admitted that she scared of being a mother because she thinks there's too much of her father in her. She doesn't want to be as cruel to a child as her old man was to her." Laxus told him.

Just the mere fact that Rette was actually afraid of such a thing, showed that, more than likely, she wouldn't. If anything, it would probably make her over indulgent with her children. Laxus certainly thought so after seeing how she was with Yuri. All the boy had to do was bat his eyes at Rette and she gave him just about anything he wanted. That being said, Yuri knew when he shouldn't push her. If Rette gave him a firm enough "no", Yuri wouldn't insist.

Laxus, on the other hand, would.

Like insisting he have a kiss every morning and every night. Rette was always unhappy with him, but he had a feeling that she was getting to a point where she really just didn't care anymore.

But that was off topic.

"Have you been able to get anything out of her about the man in the warning?" Makarov asked, referring to the future warning of Rette's death.

"No. She's tight lipped about that. She won't tell me a thing. Insist that she can handle it on her own." Laxus replied, his tone giving away his displeasure. "I seriously think the guy in the warning is her dad."

"I do too." Makarov replied. "Which makes me worry all the more considering how much just mentioning him messes with her head."

Not that there was much they could do about it at that point. If Rette didn't want to tell them, she wasn't going to say anything. They all knew just how stubborn Rette could be. Not even those who were closer to her than the others could get an answer out of her, which made Laxus stop and think.

Out of everyone in the guild, Rette was the closest to her teammates and the Strauss siblings. If she wanted advice or wanted to talk, she usually went to either Mira or Erza. If she wanted to talk to someone aside from Thyme, that was. But, thinking about it closely, Laxus could honestly say that even with them, even with Thyme, there was a certain amount of distance that Rette kept between them and herself.

Rette really didn't let anyone super close.

And Thyme could feel her emotions and read her mind most of the time!

It meant that either Rette didn't trust them enough to tell them what lay behind those final walls she kept between herself and them, or she thought they could never accept it. For all Laxus knew, it could be a mix of the two.

"You two seem to be getting along."

Laxus was snapped out of his thoughts, his eyes snapping towards his grandfather. Makarov was watching him from over his mug. It didn't take a genius to tell that Makarov wanted to know what his grandson really felt for Rette. While Laxus was his own flesh and blood, Rette was like a daughter to Makarov and the old man knew how damaged Rette was and Laxus' track record spoke for itself. While Makarov would support the pairing if Laxus and Rette honestly had feelings for each other, he would not stand for Laxus messing with her just for the heck of it.

"Yeah. We've worked out how to handle all of this." Laxus replied, cryptically.

He was **not** going to explain to his grandfather how he felt about Rette.

Before Makarov could remark back, Yuri came flying across the guild hall and launched himself at Laxus, hitting him square in the stomach.

"Yuri, what are you doing?" Laxus asked.

"Uncle Gajeel is mad~!" Yuri sang.

Laxus and Makarov looked up, their eyes finding Gajeel who was currently being held back by Levy. His eyes were set on Yuri, his features contorted in annoyance. Yuri stuck his tongue out at Gajeel, making him rage against Levy's hold.

"You little-! I'm gonna-"

"You're going to, what, Gajeel?"

Gajeel froze on the spot, breaking out in a cold sweat when the low, chilly voice reached his ears. Turning, he found Rette standing behind him, a metaphorical dark cloud hanging dense around her as she glared at him.

"I'm only going to say this one time, Gajeel, so actually use your ears for once and listen. If you lay so much as a finger on my child, I will crystallize you and turn you into a toilet for the boys' bathroom." Rette told him.

Gajeel fought between wanting to argue with her and just wanting to sink into the floor. When Rette got like this, it scary. Gajeel had no doubt in his mind that she would do exactly what she threatened if he even tried to harm the child.

"If you understand that, then walk away." Rette told him.

Without another word, Gajeel turned on his heel and walked away. Levy gave her a smile and turned to follow him. When they were out of sight, Rette turned to Yuri.

"Yuri, I do believe I asked you not to torment Gajeel or Natsu." Rette said.

"But it's fun, Mama!" Yuri complained.

Rette heaved a sigh, her eyes going to the ceiling for a brief moment. Laxus didn't know if she was praying or if she was hoping the ceiling would drop on her. All he knew was that, when she looked back at Yuri, her face had returned to it's indifferent expression.

"Yuri, if you can behave yourself for the rest of the day, we'll get a treat on the way home." Rette promised.

Yuri gave a little cheer, throwing his fists into the air. He squirmed his way out of Laxus' lap and ran across the guild hall to climb up onto the bench beside Lisanna. Rette and Laxus watched him as Lisanna gave him some paper and crayons to draw with.

"So..."my child"?" Laxus asked, a mocking grin on his face.

Rette heaved a sigh. "Can't you go one day without trying to tease me about one thing or the other?"

"What fun would that be?"

-0-0-0-0-

Most of the next two days passed like that. By day six, Rette had fallen into the groove of the whole thing. At least with Yuri, she had. She still wasn't use to being greeted in the morning with a kiss. She had given up on scolding Laxus about it. It did no good and was just a waste of breath. If she felt like being spiteful, though, she would step on his toes or hit in him the stomach. Neither really hurt Laxus, not that she was trying.

Rette was surprised by how quickly the week was flying by. Before she knew it, it was noon on the sixth day. By that time the next day, Yuri would be gone. At the moment, Yuri was in town with Lucy, Mira, and Erza, as the three did some shopping. With those three, Rette had felt comfortable letting them take the boy and they were helping her out since Laxus was out for the afternoon on a job with his group.

Rette was in the middle of wiping down the bar when the door flew open and Lucy and Mira came running into the guild hall. Erza came in behind them, dragging Natsu and Gajeel, Gray following. Rette looked up as Mira and Lucy came rushing over to the bar, Rette scanning the group in search of Yuri. When she didn't see or sense the child, she got a really bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"What's going on? Where's Yuri?" Rette asked.

"These two showed up while we were at the market and got into it with Yuri, as they always do. When Yuri zapped them because of it, they started chasing him. We lost sight of Yuri." Erza explained, her chin jerking towards the two Dragon Slayers she was dragging.

Rette's eyes snapped towards Natsu and Gajeel, who then tried to escape Erza's clutches. They knew they were dead and they weren't inclined to stick around and let Rette fulfill her promise of crystallizing them. But Rette didn't have the time to worry about punishing them.

"I'll worry about them later. I have to find Yuri." Rette said, flying around the counter.

Without another word to anyone, she flew out the door, hitting the pavement running. Damn Natsu and damn Gajeel. Rette was going to give them both a beating when she got back to the guild hall with Yuri. She had told the both of them to leave Yuri alone and the moment her back was turned and she wasn't around, they just had to mess with him.

"Rette, wait up!"

Rette glanced over her shoulder, finding Erza, Lucy, Levy, Lisanna, and Juvia following her. She came to a stop, raising an eyebrow at them.

"What are you doing?" Rette asked.

"Mirajane is staying behind to look after the guild hall, but we decided to help look for Yuri." Lucy told her.

Rette nodded, grateful. She could easily locate Yuri with her heightened sense...if his magic was stronger. She could also use one of her tracking spells, but her mind was racing, wondering where the child could be. She wasn't even considering her tracking spells.

"Split up and search. I'll search from the sky." Rette told them.

The others nodded. While Rette took to the skies, the others spread out, running from street to street. Among the different, vast magic energies that resided in Magnolia, Rette was having a difficult time trying to locate Yuri's. Among the stronger energies, it was like looking for the candle's flame compared to that of roaring fires. Rette flew over the streets, scanning the people below for a tiny head of yellow.

Down in the streets, the others went from person to person, asking if they had seen the child. It was a little difficult not to notice a child with wide eyes of magenta and lavender. Some people had seen him running by, but most people had lost track of him almost as soon as they had spotted him. Erza, after hearing the same story about six or seven times, had come to one conclusion.

Yuri was definitely Rette's son and he had definitely inherted her knack for evasion tactics.

Finding the boy was going to prove to be as difficult as finding Rette when she decided to make herself scarce. Sure enough, minutes turned into hours and soon the sun as beginning to sink in the sky. By the time six o'clock rolled around and Laxus had returned from his job to find out what had happened, Rette was almost out of her mind. Trying to keep her face in its indifferent mask, was failing.

Laxus found her pacing as she waited to hear back from the others. She had flown all over the town and hadn't seen hide or hair of Yuri. Rette was working on chewing down one of her thumbnails when Laxus approached her.

"Chew anymore and you'll be chewing on skin, not nail."

Rette came to a stop, looking up at Laxus when he spoke. She had a confused look on her face for a moment before she glanced down at her thumb, seeing that she had chewed the nail clear to the quick. Frowning, she dropped her hand and turned to face him. Laxus could see the concern etched into every line on her face.

"He'll be fine, Rette." Laxus told her.

"He better be or when I get back to the guild hall, Natsu and Gajeel are going to find out what it feels like to be flash frozen." Rette retorted.

Laxus grinned to himself. Even worried out of her mind about Yuri like she was, she was still fierce and mama lion protective. It was a fierceness that Laxus really loved. Three large steps brought him to her side. When he reached her, he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her into his side. One hand cupped the back of her head, his thumb and forefinger working at the tense muscles in her neck, while the other held her firmly against his chest.

"If he's truly suppose to be your son, he'll be fine. If he's half as clever as his mother, he'll find us before we find him." Laxus assured her.

Rette sure hoped so. She loved the fact that Laxus had so much confidence in her, and by extent, their son, but she was too worried for Yuri to really focus on that. So, yes, she really hoped Laxus was right and they found Yuri soon.

If not, she knew two Dragon Slayers who were going to meet a very angry mama dragon that they couldn't slay.

-0-0-0-0-

It was well after dark, after hours of half the guild running around, when they finally found Yuri. Rette, once they found him, wanted to bang her head into the wall. The whole time, Yuri had been in Laxus' apartment, napping. How he got in without a key, Rette still didn't know, but at least he was safe. She took off running down the street when Laxus told her he had found Yuri. The moment she saw the boy, she ran to him, scooping him up into her arms, hugging him tight enough to force most of the air from his lungs.

"Mama?"

Yuri barely got the single word out. He could feel Rette's heart pounding away in her chest. Laxus and the others, stood back, watching as Rette heaved a huge sigh before she held the boy out at arms length, a stern, but otherwise blank, look on her face.

"Do you know how worried you've had me?" she demanded. "What did you think you were doing?"

"Uncle Natsu and Uncle Gajeel were chasing me, Mama, and you always told me that there's no where safer than home. So I ran home. Daddy keeps the spare key in a fake brick!" Yuri replied, grinning his wide, proud grin.

Rette, blinking in surprise, turned and looked up at Laxus, who as frowning to himself. The frown was enough to tell Rette that Yuri was telling the truth. And if she was being honest...Rette could see herself telling her child that home was the safest place. A true home, with loving parents...she couldn't imagine a place more safe than that.

Turning back to Yuri, Rette sat him on his feet and crouched in front of him. She laid her hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eyes. She couldn't be mad at him, really she couldn't. Especially not when he gave her the sort of nervous look that he had on his face now.

"You're not mad at me, are you, Mama?" Yuri asked.

Rette's shoulders sagged as she let out another sigh. Finally, she gave him a small smile and laid a hand on his head, shaking her head in answer.

"No, I'm not. Now, as far as your Uncle Natsu and Uncle Gajeel are concerned...yes, yes I am mad." Rette told the child.

"You're going to punish them, aren't you, Mama?"

"Yes, I am."

Yuri looked thoughtful for a moment, as if he was thinking that over. Then he turned those wide eyes, so much like her own, up at her.

"Don't be too mean to them, Mama. You always tell me that they don't have the common sense they were born with. Idiots can't help that they're stupid." Yuri told her finally.

Rette, as well as all of those behind her, stared at Yuri, Rette blinking in astoundment. Then, Rette did the last thing any of them expected her to do.

She laughed.

Not one of the short, curt and cut off laughs that she was known to do. Rette let her face drop into her hand, her shoulders heaving, as peal after peal of laughter left her in gasps. None of them, in the time they had known her, had ever heard Rette truly laugh. It was kind of a high pitch sound, like the chiming of sleigh bells.

"Mama?"

Yuri tilted his head, confused as to why Rette was laughing. For a moment, all Rette could do was wave a hand, she was laughing so hard. Slowly, she was able to rein in her laughter, rubbing her cheeks because they hurt so much.

"I haven't laughed like that in... **ever**. I've never laughed like that. Oh, my cheeks hurt." Rette said, groaning as another laugh escaped her curled lips.

Yuri grinned proudly at the fact that he could make his mother laugh where no one else could. Rette took a deep breath in before she looked up at Yuri, a tiny smile curling her lips just the slightest. Reaching out, she dropped a hand on his head, lightly ruffling his blonde hair.

"I think we can arrange for your uncles to receive a **slightly** easier punishment." she assured Yuri.

Yuri gave her a firm nod. With that, Rette scooped him up, propping him up on her hip. Now that she knew he was fine and was safe with her, she could feel her heart beat slowing down. She had never thought her heart could beat that hard or that fast. It just showed her that she did, in fact, still have a pounding heart somewhere deep in her chest.

The thought both thrilled and scared her.

In honor of Yuri's wishes, Rette didn't kill Natsu and Gajeel. When they got back to the guild hall, she settled for smacking the both of them over the head with a heavy, wooden tray. She left the two with large bumps on their heads.

Though, she honestly thought they deserved worse.

For their last night together, Rette made all of Yuri's favorite foods. Rette wouldn't admit it out loud, but having Yuri around...had changed a few things in her eyes. She would actually miss the little boy once he was gone.

Once again...not that she would admit it.

-0-0-0-0-

The next morning, Rette took off work at the guild hall to spend it with Yuri. Something that Mira and Makarov could understand considering it was the last day with Yuri. Sitting at a table across from Yuri, was where the morning found Rette. She sat there, with less than twenty minutes left in the spell, her chin resting in one hand as she watched him draw on a sheet of paper with his crayons. He was so intent on his drawing that he didn't notice her staring for, at least, fifteen minutes.

When he finally looked up at her, he tilted his head to the side, the same way Rette sometimes did.

"Something wrong, Mama?" he asked.

"No. Yuri, I have a question for you."

"What is it, Mama?" Yuri asked, turning back to his drawing.

"Are you happy?"

Yuri looked up from his drawing, staring at Rette with wide, confused eyes. He set down his crayon so that he was completely focused on Rette.

"What do you mean, Mama?" he asked.

"I mean, are you happy...with me? Am I a good mother? Do you feel loved? Safe?" Rette asked. "Of course, Mama!"

"You sure?" Rette asked.

"I mean...sometimes you're scary, Mama, but it's funny because it's never directed at me. I think it's funny that you can scare Daddy!" Yuri stated. "But, I know you love me, Mama. You protect me. I don't feel safe anywhere but with you and Daddy."

Rette didn't speak or move for a moment, letting the words process in her brain as Yuri grinned at her. Finally, a small laugh left Rette and a truly relieved smile fell on her face. She, honestly, could not describe how relieved she felt that she was, in some alternate timeline, a good mother.

"Mama."

"Yes?"

Rette turned her full attention back to Yuri, who was staring at her face. His head tilted to the side, as hers sometimes did, as he studied her face.

"You should smile more, Mama. You're prettier when you smile." Yuri declared.

"That she is."

Rette and Yuri looked up as Laxus angled his body onto the bench beside Rette. Rette blinked at the large man in surprise. She hadn't even noticed him approaching. She really was losing her touch these days if that was the case.

"But your mama doesn't listen to me." Laxus added.

"Yeah, well...I didn't have much to smile about growing up. Not a lot of hugs in my life." Rette replied, the comment being more sarcasm than anything else.

"Mama."

Rette turned her eyes back to Yuri. His expression was serious as he looked at her. In the background, the clock began ticking down the last minute they would have with Yuri before the spell's magic ran out.

"When you finally have me, I'll give you lots of hugs! So make sure to smile lots, okay?"

Rette was so surprised and touched by his words, that her mask slipped, her expression show casing her emotions for all to see. She was surprised that the little boy was aware that he was just the result of magic. Yuri grinned widely at her expression.

"Yuri..."

Yuri's grin grew as the clock hit the top of the hour, ringing out the end of their time together. Yuri reached out, his form already starting to fade, and grabbed Rette's hand, curling his tiny pinkie around Rette's and looking up at her until she curled hers around his.

"It's a promise, Mama, okay?" Yuri asked.

"Okay." Rette repeated, nodding.

Yuri grinned, his body now see-through. Looking Rette directly in the eye, Yuri declared, "I love you, Mama!" before he completely vanished, the magic gone.

Rette sat there for a long moment, staring at her out stretched pinkie finger. She jolted slightly from surprise when Laxus reached out to wrap her hand in his.

"He knew he wasn't of this world." Rette remarked.

"Well, he was suppose to be your kid, so, of course he knew."

Rette shook her head, but there was a small smile on her face. Laxus was always complimenting her. It was almost as if it was second nature for him to praise her. Even after so long of being in the guild, she had heard compliments and praise from her other guild mates, but none them made her feel as she did when Laxus did it. It was strange.

"You know, having a kid wasn't that bad." Laxus remarked.

"No, I guess not."

Chatter from those around them, filled their ears as silence stretched between them. For Rette, the moment was one of peace and, dare she say it, happiness. Just a moment of peace, as they simply sat there and enjoyed each others company.

But, of course, leave it to Laxus to ruin the moment.

"You should stay over tonight. We could work on helping Yuri fulfill his promise sooner."

"Gods, you're incorrigible."

With that, Rette got to her feet and walked away from the table, Laxus laughing to himself at the beginnings of a blush on Rette's face. Laxus' joke aside, the last week had actually not been that bad. It had managed to turn into a moment of sunshine in her life. One of many that her guild was responsible for. Just one of those moments that made her love her friends and her life, just a little bit more.

But, like the sky on a cloudy day, she knew that clouds would have to roll back in sooner or later.

She just hoped those clouds didn't bring a storm with them.

END

Kyandi: Laxus really is incorrigible.

Rette: Tell me about it.

Kyandi: But you like him despite that.

Rette: He's alright.

Kyandi: Alright, she says...you're in denial.

Rette: ...No comment.

Kyandi: See what I mean. Anyway, I have other chapters to work on.

Rette: Which is Kyandi Speak for "let's wrap this up".

Kyandi: True. Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: We will return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	24. Vow of Vengeance

Kyandi: Hey Kyandiacs!

Rette: We are back.

Kyandi: Yep. I have a new chapter for all of you today and when I update next, which should be no more than a week, I will have, at least, two more.

Rette: She's been working hard on getting these ready, but she has a new job and only has time to update on Saturdays.

Kyandi: I'm working on changing that, I swear.

Rette: Until then, we'll deal with what we got.

Kyandi: Right, so everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 24 Vow of Vegeance

The following weeks found Rette taking on more jobs with Laxus and his group, as they were requested and some not requested, and her own teammates. Spending more and more time with Laxus, Rette got to see more of him than most of their guild mates did. She grew to understand why Freed, Evergreen, and Bixlow liked him so much. She started to realize...she really liked him too. Had he ever serious, properly, asked her out, than she might have considered it.

Might.

After the previous run in with Minvera during Rette's and her team's job at the giant village, Makarov ordered for them all to keep their ears out for information on her and her father. After their crushing defeat during the Grand Magic Games, Rette was sure they hadn't seen the last of them. Rette knew Minerva not to be the type of person to let something like that go. She was a horribly sore loser. And it was Minerva that was currently the topic of discussion between Makarov and Erza.

"That Minerva...enlisted in a dark guild?" Makarov asked.

"Yes." Erza replied.

"Hm...What a brash and reckless lady she is. What about her father? The old master of Sabertooth." Makarov asked.

"His whereabouts are still unknown." Erza replied.

"Speaking of Sabertooth, I heard that Sting is the acting master as of now!" Laki remarked from where she sat with Kinana.

"Woah...a young **and** good looking master?" Kinana asked.

Rette, who was nearby, cleaning tables, inwardly laughed at the sour look that put on Makarov's face. She was forced on focus on something else, though, when Laki and Kinana turned to her.

"Though, he's not as good looking as Laxus, right Rette?" Laki asked. "After all, you have been spending an awful lot of time with him, right? You have to like him."

Rette stood up straight, stacking plates on her tray before turning to look at them. She wasn't sure she wanted to answer that question, but she did. Especially after seeing the grin on Laki's face.

"I've been spending time with him because we've had a lot of joint jobs requesting us. As for Laxus, himself...I don't pay attention to looks. I couldn't tell you if Laxus was better look than the next man. I like him well enough." Rette replied.

Kinana and Laki giggled then. Rette gave them a questioning look, but they merely moved away, still giggling to each other. Rette didn't understand women sometimes.

"Either way," Makarov said, continuing his conversation with Erza. "we should report this to the council."

"I was thinking of contacting Sting as well." Erza replied.

Rette moved away from the conversation. Across the room, Juvia was attempting to flirt with Gray, as always and Lucy, Natsu, Wendy, Gajeel, and all four exceeds of the guild, were gathered around Levy as she searched in books for information on END.

"Look at this. END. It doesn't go into much detail, but...it seems that it's on a completely different scale compared to Deliora or Lullaby." Levy said, reading out of a book.

"Does that mean it's Zeref's strongest demon?" Lucy asked.

"That would be really frightening." Wendy added.

"What are the demons from Zeref's book anyways?" Lily asked.

"Like I'd know." Gajeel grumbled.

"They're demons created by Zeref, himself." The group looked up at Rette as she paused in front of their table. "The reason behind their creation isn't known, though most people believe it just because Zeref wanted to create more panic and death in the world. All the magic needed to summon these demons, has been imblued into books, hence the title The Book of Zeref."

"So if we have that book, we can call out these demons?" Happy asked.

"More than likely, but I believe it's one demon per book. I'm not sure though." Rette replied.

"And the one that has END could possibly be in the possession of Tartaros." Natsu mused.

"It's a scary thought, but a likely one." Rette agreed.

"And Igneel tried to destroy that END. Hm...I've finally wrapped my head around it." Natsu said.

"Around what?" Wendy asked.

"We just gotta bust up Tartaros." Natsu declared.

"Now that I understand!" Gajeel agreed.

"Oh, to be ignorant and stupid must be such bliss." Rette remarked with a sigh.

"You guys are as clueless as always!" Lucy snapped. "First and foremost, we know too little about Tartaros. 'Bust them up'...think about the position you'd be putting our guild in as well as the council. We don't even know what type of people they have."

"But...this is a clue to Igneel's whereabouts." Natsu argued.

"And Grandeeney..." Wendy added.

"Metalicana might also be connected somehow." Gajeel agreed.

"Don't you want to find your dragons, too, Rette?" Natsu asked.

All eyes turned to Rette, then. Rette was already shaking her head in reply to Natsu.

"I really don't care. I've settle my beef with them, but if they wanted me around, they wouldn't have left in the first place." Rette retorted.

Of course. Rette had made it no secret how little she cared to find the dragons that she believe adandoned her. They would get no help from her in this argument. Wendy, though, was curious about something else. She turned to Rette as she dropped off the last of the drinks she had been carrying.

"Hey, Rette. How do you know so much about Zeref's demons?" Wendy asked.

"Well, I'm always curious to learn more about different types of magic. I heard, once long ago, that there as a book out there that detailed how to use a form of magic that Zeref, himself, created." Rette replied. "I was curious about it and read up on it a little. That's how I found out."

"What form of magic is that?" Wendy asked.

"Arc of Tribulation magic."

The guild hall around them, went quiet. Everyone turned to Rette, who raised an eyebrow back at the half scared, half horrified looks on everyone's faces.

"You know about Arc of Tribulation magic, Rette?" Makarov asked.

"Yes."

"What's Arc of Tribulation magic? Is it strong?" Natsu asked, with a wide grin.

"Yes...and highly dangerous." Rette said, turning her eye to Natsu.

"What do you mean?" Gajeel asked.

"There are several types of magic that demand the castor pay a high price to use it. The oldest of which, that I know of, is Arc of Tribulation magic." Rette told him.

"Rette, that magic is horribly dangerous. Why do you know about it?" Makarov demanded.

"I read a lot." Rette replied.

"What is this magic?" Natsu asked.

Makarov didn't look too comfortable with the topic of discussion, but Rette wasn't looking at him. Rette turned her attention to Natsu, her expression obviously guarded and blanked for a reason.

"It's a bad magic, Natsu. An old and powerful one that draws it's magic directly from the One Magic. Pure magic that is very difficult, if not nearly impossible, for normal mages to handle. There are eleven spells in total; Tribulation of Time, Tribulation of the Fallen, Tribulation of the Risen, Tribulation of the Agnoized, Tribulation of the Blessed, Tribulation of Life, Tribulation of Death, Tribulation of the Waking, Tribulation of the Slumbering, Final Tribulation, and Blessed Tribulation of the Primorial." Rette said, listing off the spells without a single pause.

While Rette knew a lot about a lot of different types of magic, it concerned Makarov that Rette knew about this one. It could be a really dangerous form of magic and he only hoped that she didn't feel tempted to try to learn it. If the castor didn't have enough magic to preform even the simpliest of the spells...it ended very badly.

"It is a magic that, as I said, takes it's power, not from the magic stored within the castor, but from the One Magic, the primorial source of magic in the world. Pure, raw power that no one should mess with. You saw how it went with Hades." Rette went on to explain. "The power is so great, the force so extreme, that just one spell can level an entire kingdom, no matter how big."

Unease spread through those listening. That kind of magic could be the end of the world in the wrong hands. It was no wonder no one knew about the magic anymore. The question then became...how did Rette know about it? Makarov highly doubted that there was still a book out there with information on the magic. Especially not in the detail that Rette knew, and that bothered him.

"What's the price for casting it, then?" Lucy asked, curious to know, but scared of the answer.

"In some cases, if the castor is lucky, they die instantly." Rette replied.

"That's lucky!?" Gray asked.

"In other cases...it destroys a person, slowly, from the inside out. Those who are strong enough to cast it and survive, suffer from a curse, of sorts. The curse is what ultimately destroys the mage and the more they cast the spells, the more intense the destruction. It shatteres their mental and emotional state first, driving them insane and hampering their ability to fuction in those aspects. Nightmares, distrust, self doubt and self hate, uncontrolable burst of violence and anger, periods of nothingness, misery, strife, fear, lonliness, fury...every emotion on the darker end of the scale becomes all they know. You lose sleep, soon you stop eating. If the castor doesn't kill themselves first, then comes the physical destruction. Everything starts shutting down until the castor is coughing up blood. By the end of it, the heart gives out and the body and mind are too far gone, too broken, to ever be saved."

The explanation scared those listening, but Rette had said it all as if it was as easy as stating that her shoe was untied. Her expression never changed and with a shrug, she turned back to her work. Makarov didn't even know the full effects the magic had on a castor, and doubted that even Mavis knew. Only a castor or someone who had personally known a castor, would know the effects.

So...which one was Rette?

So many of the effects she listed, sounded just like her, but on the other hand...it also sounded like how she described her father. Makarov really, honestly, hoped it was her father and not her, who had attempted the magic. Then again, if it was her father and they were right and it was him that was the would-be killer from Future Rogue's warning, then that could end up being a horrible danger to Rette, and to them and Magnolia as a whole.

"Rette...that kind of magic..." Erza cut off, concerned for the girl.

"I know. It's not a pretty image. I know about the magic...I never said I used it." Rette replied.

"Then how..."

Makarov cut off when Rette straightened up from picking up an empty cup. Her eyes landed on him through the curtain of her bangs.

"I told you, Master...my father is insane."

With that, Rette turned and headed for the bar. Makarov, and all of Rette's guild mates, had a bad feeling about that. Rette's father had just taken on a more monster of a twist in their minds. And to think that Rette had to grow up with that.

Just then, the doors to the guild hall, flew open, Jet and Droy running into the guild hall. Droy tripped, Jet carrying on past him with a piece of paper crushed in his hand.

"This is bad! Big news!" Jet declared.

What Jet told them all next, even shocked Rette into falling still. The members of the council...were all dead, killed by someone who used explosive-like magic. What the hell was going?! Rette really had a bad feeling about this and she just knew they were all going to end up mixed up in it, once again. They always did, even when they didn't mean too.

Rette wondered if Laxus and his group, who were currently out on a job at that restaurant 8 Island had heard about this. More than likely, they had. Rette really didn't like this. Her senses were screaming at her again, yelling that, soon, nightmares would befall them all.

The nightmares she was thinking of...Rette prayed that it wasn't what she was thinking.

God help them if it was.

-0-0-0-0-

"Rette!"

A loud bang sounded as Rette threw open the doors. People rushed to clear the way as she flew across the room, Erza trying to stop her. Makarov, turned to her, instantly noticing what was wrong. Having heard what had befallen Laxus and his group when a member of Tartaros had come to kill Yajima, Rette had come rushing in, her eyes wide and dark energy already rolling off her.

"Where are they?" Rette demanded.

"Girl, you can't go in the-"

" _ **Where the hell are they!?**_ "

Porlyusica froze when the dark demand whipped out of Rette's mouth. None of them had ever heard Rette speak to a member of their guild, or a friend, like that before. Feeling the energy that was rolling off her, along with seeing the anxiousness in Rette's wide eyes, Porlyusica stepped aside and gestured towards the doors behind her.

Rette rushed past her, flying into the room. She froze in the doorway upon seeing her guild mates, her friends, laid out in their bed, suffering. From behind, her guild mates watched as her hands curled into fists, her body beginning to tremble from her attempts to contain her anger at what had been done to her friends.

"Rette-"

"Their condition?" Rette asked, cutting off Erza.

"They're alive, but they've been heavily damaged by Mashou Ryuushi. It's a stong poison. Normally even just a little is enough to cause death. I'm not sure whether they'll be able to recover completely. Laxus' body is especially damaged. It's a miracle that he's alive." Porlyusica answered.

"Not a miracle...that's just his stubbornness." Rette replied. "He won't let something like this kill him."

Rette had complete faith in that, but the mere fact that someone had attacked her friends, had laid them all so low, had hurt Laxus so badly...Rette was finding it extremely difficult to keep her temper in check. Already, that little voice in her head was chanting she kill and maim, and if she was being honest...she was half tempted to listen to it.

"...Rette..."

Rette snapped to attention when she heard Freed's faint voice call her. She hurried over to his bed, Makarov joining her. Falling to her knees beside the bed, Rette reached out, smoothing out the blanket tucked around him.

"I'm right here." she told him.

"Laxus...saved...that...tow...n...If Laxus...hadn't been...there...the town..."

"We know." Makarov assured Freed. "Thank you for taking everyone back."

"The town...was saved...by Laxus..." Freed insisted.

Rette reached out and, with one gentle hand, smoothed Freed's hair back. She gave him a tiny smile, the best she could manage considering her anger was starting to get the better of her.

"We know, Freed." she told him.

"Is...the town...fine?" Freed asked.

Behind Rette, the others bit their lips, knowing that while Laxus had tried...several people in the town had already died. None of them wanted to lie to Freed, but it wouldn't help him to tell him the truth at that point. None of them wanted to have the burden of lying to him when he could possibly be on his death bed. Makarov opened his mouth to take the responsibility onto himself, but Rette beat him to the punch.

"Yes. Laxus did great." Rette told him.

"I'm glad..."

"Rest now and leave the rest to us." Rette assured him.

Freed smiled, knowing that if anyone would fight to avenge them, it would be Rette. With the comfort and assurance, he drifted into a restless sleep. Rette gripped the edge of the bed, her grip tightening until they could hear the sheets beginning to rip.

"Rette..."

Makarov trailed off as Rette stood, her eyes going to first Evergreen, then Bixlow, to Yajima, and finally to Laxus. She walked over to Laxus, bending over him to brush his hair back from his forehead. The look on her face was strained. How dare someone even consider hurting her friends. For this, someone was going to pay and it was going to be as painful as she could make it. Natsu obviously agree, his fists shaking with how hard he curled them.

"They've declared battle." Natsu remarked.

"If they want a battle, then let's give them a war." Rette agreed.

Gritting her teeth, Rette curled her hands into fists, glaring at them as they shook from the force. Tartaros had chosen the wrong guild to make enemies out of. They had chosen the wrong person to piss off and Rette was sure her anger would know no rest until she had destroyed whoever had hurt her friends.

Rette bent over Laxus again, gentle running a hand over his cheek before readjusting his blanket and soothing it out.

"They're going to regreat ever crossing us. This I swear. I will get whoever did this to you and the others, Laxus. I promise."

With that, Rette spun on her heel, leaving the room. Makarov quickly followed when Natsu rushed after her. He knew this was going to end up bad. Between Natsu and Rette, they would level place after place until they found whoever it was that had attacked Laxus and his group.

"Rette, hold up. You can't just go rushing out there." Erza told Rette, grabbing her arm.

Rette instantly froze, her muscles tightening in an attempt to quell her anger before she lashed out at a friend. Natsu, on the other hand, had to be dog piled to keep him from leaving. In the attempt to hold him down, poor Droy got knocked down. It ended up taking Max, Nab, Jet, and Warren to keep him down.

"I can't stay still since my friend got hurt! Let's attack them right away, Grandpa!" Natsu yelled.

Rette agreed with him. She couldn't just stand there and do nothing knowing that her friends had been hurt and the person responsible was going unpunished. Mira joined Erza, laying her hands on Rette's shoulders. Having the calming touch of her two friends on her, Rette began to calm down some, though she knew she wouldn't be completely calm again until she had aveneged her friends.

"I agree with you. But we have too little information." Makarov said.

"Let me go to the town and pick up the guy's magical energy. I'll find him." Rette declared darkly.

"No. We can't risk losing you and your abilities if you get infected too." Makarov told her, making Rette frown.

"We don't know Tartaros' goal. And not even the council knew where their HQ is." Erza said.

"You see, Natsu? We don't even know where they are, how can we attack them?" Max asked.

"We can just ask other dark guilds!" Natsu declared.

"And where are the HQ of the other dark guilds?" Max asked.

"No idea!"

"Then who should we attack!?"

No one had ever said that Natsu had a working a brain. Even Rette could see that they were at a disadvantage and that was with her anger clouding her judgment.

"The only thing we know is that they want to attack the counselors. And not only the current ones but the previous ones too." Lucy said.

"Well, in that case if we go to the home of one of the ex-counselors they might just come." Gray said.

"They're addresses are top secret. It would be difficult to get them." Rette said sourly.

"Why?" Happy asked.

"Some bad people might go there to get revenge." Carla replied.

"A stalemate." Cana mused.

"No, not really." All eyes turned to where Loke had appeared and now stood among them. "I know the addresses of the previous counselors. Though not of all of them."

"Why do you know them?" Wendy asked.

Loke bent over to whisper in Wendy's ear. When the girl turned red, her eyes going to the floor as she twisted her dress in her hands, Lucy guessed that it was a woman who had told Loke. Rette didn't doubt it if that was the case.

A map was brought forth for Loke. Taking pins, Loke marked the locations of the homes of the four ex-counselors that he knew about. With that, they could do some battle planning. Not a lot, but it was better than nothing.

"Thanks to Loke's information, we were able to locate the address of four ex-counselors. First of all, each team will go to one of the houses and protect the owner from Tartaros. Then we will try to get information from them, though it will be hard. We need to know other addresses...and hints as to why Tartaros are attacking them." Makarov ordered.

"If you meet the one who attacked Laxus, and that uses the magic-killing particles, be careful and get a sample of their blood. I might be able to prepare a vaccine for Laxus and the others." Porlyusica added.

Rette kind of hoped she was one of those who encountered the attacker. She would get the blood sample, but that would be all that would be left of him when she was done with him. She would make sure of it.

"Tartaros is the enemy! They're from the Baram Alliance, like Oracion Seis and Grimor Heart! But we were able to defeat both of them! Likewise, Tartaros will regret having us as their enemy!" Makarov declared. "They hurt our comrades! We can feel their pain! The blood of our comrades is the same as our blood! We will turn this pain, this suffering, into fighting spirit, and defeat the enemy! We are not justice! We move, following our ideals! To protect our bonds and our pride, we will exterminate the enemies of our family!"

An agreeing cheer rang out over the guild hall, fists being thrust into the air. Tartaros had made an enemy of the wrong guild. Makarov scanned the faces before him, his eyes landing on Rette. As much as he would prefer to keep her at the guild hall, away from the fight, especially with the threat still looming over her head, he knew they would need her fighting power at some point. While many others in the guild came close to having her avenging, vindictive spirit when it came to defending her guild and it's members, none of them could quite match Rette. Especially not now that she was an S-class mage.

And he could see the promise of pain in Rette's eyes. Her expression was dark, her eyes flashing with some emotion he couldn't quite place and was honestly hesitant to try to indentify. Her expression declared that whoever it was, they would regret messing with what was her's. And no one doubted it. The girl was horribly vindictive when angered and she was seriously ticked. They all knew one thing as truth.

If Rette found the person responsible, she would not stop until they met a horrible end.

-0-0-0-0-

Rette ended up remaining at the guild hall as four teams were sent out. Even Thyme went with a team, deciding to join Gajeel, Levy, and Lily. Rette wasn't too thrilled by it, but Makarov pacified her by telling her that it was so they could send her directly out as soon as they discovered the location of Tartaros.

So, Rette took up pacing when she wasn't beside Laxus.

Back and forth, she paced while awaiting news from her guild mates. She would do that for a while, while, around her, people ran about, collecting more information and recruiting teams from other guilds to protect more ex-counselors as they were located. Then she would return to Laxus' side, and sit there, seeing to him and the others.

When, finally, the reports started to come in, the news wasn't good.

Gray and Juvia were the first to report in. According to them, not only had they arrived late, whatever had killed the ex-counselor, had destroyed the town as well. Gajeel and his team reported in next. Their ex-counselor was dead already, as well. Rette had increased her pacing by the time Natsu's team reported in. They had arrived in time to save their counselor, but had ended up in a fight with a member of Tartaros.

Rette flew to Makarov's side. Lucy looked back at her from the communication lacrima set up on the table.

"Were you able to get any information from Mikelo?" Makarov demaned.

" _Well.._."

Lucy turned the lacrima until they were able to see Mikelo. The old man looked a haggard mess, and was muttering to himself about a "white legacy", a face, and how he didn't know anything.

"Face?" Makarov asked.

" _Face is one of the weapons the council possesses._ " Mikelo answered.

"Weapon? Why would the council need another when they already have the Etherion cannon?" Rette demaned.

" _Probably to keep the peace in the magic world._ " Carla remarked. " _I also have an idea about this, but let's hear his story._ "

" _There are a few weapons, and they're managed in different ways depending on the level of danger and importance. For example, Etherion, the super magic cannon that can hit anything on this continent, has a power able to destroy a whole country in a second. To use it, it's required to have the approval of nine of the current counselors and the release code by ten of the high rank personnel."_ Mikelo said.

"In other words, now that all the counselors have been killed..." Jet started.

"The council cannot use Etherion?" Droy asked.

" _So one of their goals might be to render Etherion powerless._ " Lily remarked from another communication line, Thyme nodding her agreement.

"What kind of weapon is Face?" Makarov demanded, though Mikelo had a look on his face like he didn't want to answer. "I understand that it's top secret! But now it's not the time for that!"

" _It's a magic pulse bomb. It's a weapon that can annihilate the magic of the whole continent._ "

Rette felt like the blood in her head had just completely drained away, leaving her feeling light headed. A bomb take could annihilate all magic...for mages, that was a death sentence. It would leave every mage in Fiore to suffer magic deficiency, which, if not treated, would lead to death.

"That would be a death sentence for mages!" Rette growled.

" _Not only that! Tartaros said that they don't use magic but rather curses!_ " Lucy piped in.

" _A world where all mages would be unable to use magic, while Tartaros could use their power freely._ " Lily remarked.

"It's a terrible weapon. We'd all be sitting ducks." Rette agreed.

" _Where is it?! We must destroy it before they find it!_ " Natsu declared.

" _I-I don't know...I heard that the sealing method is the vital link magic of three ex-counselors. But the only one who knows who they are is the ex-chairman._ " Mikelo replied.

Vital Link magic...that meant that three lives would have to be lost before Tartaros could unseal Face and use it. Rette really didn't like this. It meant that, until they could find all three, the members of Tartaros would continue to locate and kill ex-counselors.

" _Is that why they're just trying to murder all the counselors instead of questioning them?_ " Gray asked.

" _But...if they don't need to ask for information...does it mean that Tartaros already knows where Face is hidden?_ " Juvia asked.

" _Old man, if the three ex-counselors that keep it sealed are killed Face will fall into their hands!_ " Gajeel pointed out.

"We must find them and protect them! The ex-chairman knows about them, right?" Makarov asked Mikelo.

" _P-probably._ "

Makarov turned, demanding to know if anyone had found the ex-chairman's address yet. Thankfully, his address had already been found and Erza and Mira had been sent out to protect him and gather any information that they could. Rette really had a bad feeling about all of this. Something wasn't adding up. If it was so difficult to just get the ex-counselors' addresses, then how did Tartaros know where they were?

The answer hit Rette like a ton of bricks and she turned to face Makarov, her eyes widening slightly in the face of her realization.

"Master! Give me the address for the ex-chairman!" Rette demanded.

"Rette? Why? What is it?" Makarov asked.

"Think about it, Master! How in the world did Tartaros get information that even the ex-counselors weren't suppose to know?" Rette asked.

Slowly, she saw the truth dawn on Makarov. Without wasting a moment for him to come to terms with the information, Rette turned to Laki, demanding to be given the address. With that in hand, Rette turned on her heels.

"I'm going to back up Erza and Mira!" Rette declared, rushing towards the door.

"Be careful!" Makarov called after her.

Rette didn't have time to stop and think about it. The moment she was out the door, she launched herself into the air, her Sun Wings spell taking over to carrying her into the air. She shot off like a rocket, hoping she had caught on to what was going on fast enough to save her friends. The land below her passed in a blur as she rushed to the address that Laki had given her. She knew, the moment the hill the ex-chairman's house was built on, came into sight, that she was too late.

Rette landed on the edge of the destroyed house, her eyes scanning the wreckage. She didn't seen any blood, or any remains of her friends, which meant they were probably still alive. Raising her nose in the air, Rette drew the air in. Several scents came to her noses. Erza and Mira's came to her, but they were so faint that she couldn't hope to be able to follow them. Then came Natsu and Happy's scents. Those were newer, stronger.

Those, she could follow.

Using her Sun Wings once more, Rette rose into the air, following the scent of something burnt that always seemed to be associated with Natsu in her mind. That scent took her higher and higher into the air, heading back towards Magnolia, no less. Before she knew it, she was flying above the clouds, following a scent trail that was slowly being ripped apart by the wind. Just when she thought she would lose the scent trail before she could find Natsu, something came into sight ahead of her.

Rette wasn't sure what she was looking at, at first, but she soon realized what it was. Before her was a cube of earth. It looked like someone had taken a flat plane of earth and had folded it until it was in the shape of a cube. It was drifting along at a slower speed than her, heading in the direction of Magonlia. Rette was sure that Natsu and Happy's scents were coming from the cube.

But several over scents were drifting towards her.

Those had to belong to enemies. Rette wouldn't risk getting too close just yet. After all, what use would she be if she got captured as well? Of course, that little voice in her head, was shouting at her to screw caution and just attack the damn thing. Something Rette wouldn't do. For the moment, she would follow the cube and try to get a grasp on what they were dealing with.

She couldn't see anyone on the surface of the cube and she had no idea if there was an inside, though there had to be, right? With all the scents she was picking up, there had to be an inside to the cube. On the top side of the cube, there was a building. A pretty sorry, dark, and depressing excuse for a building, but a building none the less. That had to be Tartaros' headquarters.

No wonder no one could find the place.

Well, she had found it, but the question was...what should she do now? She could continue to follow it, but what would that really do? She knew for sure that Natsu and Happy were on the cube, somewhere, and there was a possibility that Erza and Mira were as well. She knew she should wait for Makarov's order, but part of her really wanted to go crashing in, guns blazing, so to speak. Which was a great way to get herself caught.

She was still debating the choice when the clouds parted and Magnolia came into view. Now Rette was curious. What did Tartaros want with her out-of-the-way town? As she pondered over the reasons, the Fairy Tail guild hall came into view. Rette came to a shuddering halt when, not a moment after spotting the building...it blew up.

She would have fallen out of the sky out of shock, if she wasn't a little more self aware. Her stomach certainly fell though, and she honestly felt sick. Everyone...everyone had been in the guild hall! Panic and anger began to rise, over riding her common sense. She was about two second away from losing it, when she felt Thyme's presence grow.

Thyme was alright!

With her presence then came that of the other three exceeds and almost every member of her guild. It was enough to instantly calm her panic, though her anger was still intact. Shooting forward, Rette followed the presence of Thyme until she could see the four exceeds shooting straight for the cube, carrying cards in their paws.

Cards?

 _ **Cards!**_

 _Cana, you brilliant drunkard_ , Rette thought as she rushed to join the exceeds.

"Rette!" Happy called when he caught sight of her.

"Keep going!" Rette urged, changing her course to rocketed straight towards the cube.

She had a pretty good feeling that Cana had trapped every member of their guild in her cards, as a way of saving them. That meant that the exceeds were taking the fight to Tartaros. Something that Rette could get behind. She ended up being faster than the exceeds, though, so when a sudden shift in gravity abruptly pulled them in towards the bottom of the cube, Rette went crashing into the ground with enough force to rattle her teeth.

Happy, Lily, Carla, and Thyme hit the ground around her, each pulled in by the same force. Rette, who had ended up with lower body over her head, instantly righted herself, cursing whatever trick Tartaros had just pulled.

"Well, that smarts." Rette muttered.

To her, looking around, it was like she was standing right side up on the ground, but when she looked over her head, she could see Magnolia, the town appearing to be hanging upside down in the sky. It was so strange an experience that it took Rette a moment to shake it off and get to her feet as Cana released everyone from the cards the exceeds had been carrying. Everyone spilled out of their cards, ready for action. Rette made her way over to Cana.

"What happened to the guild hall?" Rette asked.

Cana turned her, not really surprised to find Rette there. Rette always seemed to show up where there was a fight that needed her help.

"Your brother-by-circumstance lost his mind for a short while." Cana said, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder.

Rette leaned around Cana, finding Elfman laying on the ground, a confused look on his face. Rette wasn't exactly sure what had happened, but she was sure Elfman hadn't had control over himself. He wouldn't have endangered everyone if he had.

"What am I...?" Elfman muttered.

"Are you sane again?" Cana asked as his eyes welled up with tears.

"What did I..."

"Don't you want to save Mira and Lisanna? Protect Rette who's standing right here? Stand up first of all." Cana told Elfman.

"She's right. Whatever might have happened, what matters now, is protecting your family." Rette agreed. "In case you haven't noticed, they're all fighting for their lives."

All around them, the other members of the guild were fighting with guards that had been unleashed upon them. No matter how many they knocked down, more just kept showing up. It was endless at the moment.

"How many are there?" Jet demanded.

"It's endless." Droy agreed.

"We can't move. We have to protect Laxus and the others too." Max chimed in.

Rette glanced over to where Laxus, his team, and Yajima were laid on the ground, all five still unconscious. Having them there, would definitely hinder them, but it wasn't like they really had a choice.

"Why did you take the wounded too!?" Macao demanded of Cana.

"They would've been blown up with the guild!" Cana retorted.

"Sorry. It's all my..."

"You're a man! If you have time to whine use it to take down some enemies!" Cana snapped at Elfman, cutting him off.

"I know. I'll make up for all this." Elfman replied.

"Good. Then get moving. We have sisters to find." Rette told him.

Elfman gave her a sharp nod, jumping into the fight along side her and Cana. The enemy before them wasn't that strong, but they were numerous. For every one that Rette took down, it was like four more took their place. It was driving her insane. They weren't giving Rette's guild mates any room to find some way to break through. They were all getting annoyed, starting to think it would be impossible, when something suddenly came crashing through the ground under their feet.

Rette spun on her heel, catching sight of Erza fighting with a woman who looked like a hybrid between a person and a bird. Erza's appearance left a gapping hole behind. Makarov quickly rounded on the one person he knew would demolish the inside just as fast as Erza or Natsu.

"Rette!"

"I'm already on it, Master!" Rette called back.

She looked down the hole Erza had left behind. The moment she entered it, she would be in the very heart of a, literal, lair of demons. Despite how uneasy that made her, especially with the sudden sense of doom she felt hanging over her head, she knew it had to be done. For her friends, her family. With that in mind, Rette did the only thing she could.

She took a diving leap into the hole.

END

Kyandi: I'm so thankful to my aunt and uncle for letting me use their internet.

Rette: Hopefully, we'll have another chapter or two for you in a few days.

Kyandi: Hopefully.

Rette: The next hand full of chapters is going to be difficult for me.

Kyandi: Yeah, well...that's how the story goes. Anyway, I have Thanksgiving with my family, so we got to go.

Rette: Right.

Kyandi: So everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	25. Hatred of Demons

Kyandi: Hey Kyandiacs!

Rette: We have returned.

Kyandi: I've been working on this one a lot. High muse and all that jazz.

Rette: She's considering not working on anything else until she finishes this story.

Kyandi: There are only two more arcs left in the series, so...maybe, maybe not.

Rette: We'll see how it goes.

Kyandi: Right. So everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 49 Hatred of Demons

Rette hit the floor inside the cube in a strange way, her world suddenly flipping to adjust to the shift in gravity. She ended up on her back, staring up at a ceiling, a frown on her face.

"This place is so messed up, I'll be glad to blow it up like they did to the guild hall." Rette muttered as she climbed to her feet.

She dusted herself off before raising her nose to sniff the air. She could just pick up Natsu's and Lisanna's scents. Scanning her surroundings first, she took off after the scents. Using her nose and her heightened ability to track magic, she was able to follow the two to where they had split up at a staircase. There, she found Natsu standing in the middle of a hall, fallen enemies around him, staring off into space.

"Natsu!"

Natsu turned, finding Rette running towards him. She came to a halt a few feet from him, her eyes scanning him from top to bottom. Her eyes snagged on the blanket, or whatever it was, that he had tied around his waist.

"What the hell are you wearing? Where are your clothes?" Rette asked.

"The dumbasses took them from me! They took my scarf!" Natsu snapped, his temper flaring as he stomped one foot.

"Alright, alright, I get it. Put your leg down before I catch a flash of something I don't want to see." Rette told him.

Natsu quickly put his foot down, though he didn't get why Rette was so bothered. It wasn't like she hadn't seen him naked before and he didn't care. Besides...she was always half naked as it was. The barely there shorts, with the laces that acted as sides and the scarf-like, tied on top she was currently wearing, was just one example of the sorry excuse for clothes that she wore.

"Where's Lisanna? I could have sworn I smelled her scent here too." Rette remarked.

"She went on ahead to look for Mira." Natsu replied.

"Good. Come on. Let's find you some clothes and then catch up to the others." Rette decided.

Natsu nodded, the two taking off. They were able to find Natsu some clothes that were kind of similar to the style of his every day clothes. Once he was dressed, Rette lead the way, tracking down those closest to them: Lucy, Wendy, Happy, and Carla. As they ran, Rette filled Natsu in, telling him that Erza was outside, fighting with some bird lady while Elfman was fine and running around through the building, looking for Mira and Lisanna.

While they had pretty much found everyone and were finally making their counter attack, Rette couldn't shake a dark feeling that had fallen over her since she had first stepped foot on the cube. It was a feeling that sent chills up her spine and made her feel like huddling in a corner. A feeling she hadn't had since her childhood.

"Everything will be fine."

Rette turned her eyes to Natsu when he spoke.

"What?" she asked.

"You look worried. Everything will be fine." Natsu assured her.

"I know that. I...I just can't shake this feeling of dread and doom that's fallen over me. The moment I stepped foot here, I suddenly felt like I've been tossed back into the dark halls of the Compound." Rette admitted.

Natsu's eyes snapped to her and he finally gave her a close look. A cold sweat had broken out over her skin and she looked like the color was slowly draining from her face. She had fixed her usual look of indifference on her face, but it wasn't quite reaching her eyes. In fact, the look in her eyes...she was scared.

"Rette..."

"I don't like this, Natsu, I really don't. Let's just find everyone, pay back the debt they owe us, and get the hell out of here." Rette said.

Natsu nodded. If Rette was scared, then there was a good reason behind it. The two sped up, speeding off down the halls in search of their teammates. They found Lucy as she was about to be attacked by some creep who looked like an over sized eyeball. Natsu flew into the fight, saving Lucy who was trapped in what Rette was sure was wool. Rette moved in behind the enemy, her eyes going to the nearby window as Wendy and Carla flew off.

"Why was Wendy in such a hurry? Well, why are you here in the first place?" Natsu asked.

"Face is about to be activated! It can only be stopped directly!" Lucy replied.

"What!? But...we have to rescue Mira too." Natsu said.

"I know. We'll have to leave Face to Wendy." Lucy told him.

The conversation was brought to an end when their enemy's appearance changed, taking on a similar appearance to take of Lucy's celestial spirit, Taurus. Rette blinked in surprise, her unease, for a moment, forgotten.

"He absorbed Taurus and Aries!?" Lucy exclaimed.

"Gehehehe...I can use the souls of the things I absorb as nourishment to evolve." the enemy announced.

"

"Oh, this is going to be a major pain in the back side." Rette remarked.

This only made the demon laugh his annoying little laugh. Rette was ready to throw a shoe at him if he didn't stop laughing. She bet he couldn't absorb that.

"How much are the rats I let escape worth?" the demon, Franmalth, asked.

"Wendy isn't a rat." Natsu and Rette replied at the same time.

"I know! I can distinguish between humans and rats!" Franmalth snapped.

"Distinguish, wow. That's an awful big words from someone who can't tell a human from a rat." Rette remarked sarcastically.

She watched in satisfied amusement as Franmalth threw a little fit, stomping one foot against the ground. Apparently it was far too easy, at least with Franmalth, to annoy a demon.

"I just called her a rat because she moves around like one!" Franmalth insisted.

"By the way, Carla isn't a rat either." Natsu added.

"I know that too!" Franmalth yelled.

"I'm not sure that you do." Rette remarked.

This resulted in another little fit from the demon, making Rette's lips twitch as she fought not to smile. She couldn't help it. Messing with people like that, or in this case, demons, was hilarious. Even in her mid twenties, she could appreciate the comedy behind ticking off a supposedly big and bad demon.

"Give back Taurus and Aries." Lucy demanded.

"No way. Do you know how big my collection is?" Franmalth replied.

"Ooo...that was the wrong answer."

Franmalth looked over his shoulder at Rette. Rette pointed back towards Natsu. Franmalth turned as Natsu swung a fiery fist at him, declaring he would kick Franmalth's ass until he spit them out. Grinning, Franmalth's head changed shape until it was Aries looking back at Natsu, pleading to Natsu. Natsu yanked back, unable to hit Aries. Franmalth took advantage of that and attacked Natsu.

With Natsu down, Franmalth reached for him, intending to absorb Natsu's soul. Natsu bounced back up, darting away from Franmalth before attacking again. This time Franmalth took on Taurus' appearance. Which didn't stop Natsu from hitting him. Franmalth flew back, sliding to a stop at Rette's feet. The demon looked up at Rette as she cracked her knuckles. He instantly turned his head into that of Aries, causing Rette to raise an eyebrow as he pleaded with her to help him in Aries' voice.

"No offense to Aries, but...I'll punch anyone. Even a friend."

Franmalth tried to scramble away from Rette, but she caught him and, with a fist covered in crystal, sent him flying into a wall. Rette popped her knuckles as she joined Natsu, Lucy, and Happy.

"Huh...a cyclopse wreckingball. Fun." Rette remarked.

With a growl, Franmalth shoved aside bits of the crumbled walls and stood up, furious. Rette and Natsu shared a look, both prepared to fight.

"I'll show you one of my top class souls!" Franmalth declared.

What he morphed into next, had Rette's teammates freezing in shock. Rette only knew he was from the recollection of the fight on Tenrou Island that her friends had given her.

"What's going on? Why...why does he have...his soul..." Happy asked.

"Master Hades!?"

Rette blinked as she looked at Franmalth, her head tilting to one side. It was a little difficult to be scared when he just looked so ridiculous. The proportions were way off, the body too big and the head too freakishly narrow. Even the jaw was too long. Rette was more likely to laugh than to honestly be scared of him. She hoped the really Hades hadn't looked like that.

"Your proportions are weird." Rette remarked.

"Who cares about appearances!? It's Hades! That Hades!" Franmalth retorted.

"Sorry, but it's kind of hard to muster up fear when you look absolutely ridiculous." Rette told him.

"The master of Grimoir Heart, once considered the strongest dark guild and a genius mage who knew a lot about the darkness. Seven years ago, when I was going after Zeref, I happened to find this body. Even though he was a human, he was closer to a demon. Do you know how much power he has?" Franmalth asked.

Rette and Natsu looked at each other. Cracking their knuckles, both launched themselves forward, aiming punches for Franmalth.

"Hate to break it to you..." Rette started.

"We're the ones who defeated him." Natsu finished.

Their combined punch sent Franmalth rocketing back, but that was about all it did. There wasn't a single scratch on Franmalth as he grinned at them.

"Alone?" he asked.

Rette dived to the side, hitting the ground in a roll, as Franmalth launched himself at them. She managed to avoid his counter attack, but Natsu took the hit. The force managed to kick up a lot of smoke, damaging the hallway. Rette raised an arm to defend her head.

"He might look weird, but his magic power is the real thing." Franmalth said.

Natsu, never one to be knocked down and stay down, came charging back towards the demon. He came flying down the hall, Rette crouching down to avoid being in his line of fire. Franmalth, like Hades had done, conjured a chain to use to attack Natsu.

"It's the power of someone who got close to the abyss of magic!" Franmalth declared.

Natsu dodged the attack, Rette flying in from under him. She pulled back a fist, but had to duck when Franmalth's arm extended, aiming to grab her. Instead, he ended up grabbing Natsu by the ankle. He had been aiming for Rette, but he would take Natsu. His other hand came flying over Rette's head to latch onto Natsu's shoulder.

"There. Connection. Your soul is mine." Franmalth declared.

For a brief moment, he forgot about Rette still crouched in front of him. That moment of forgetfulness, was all Rette needed. Holding up her left hand, Rette drew his attention to her only to blast him in the face with a ball of light.

"Natsu, now!" Rette called, completely plastering herself to the floor as Franmalth was forced to release Natsu.

"Lightning Flame Dragon's Roar!"

Rette felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up as the lightning charged, fire attack flew right over her head. She really didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of those attacks. She had fought Laxus before, had been zapped pretty hard by him. She didn't not want to face that _**and**_ Natsu's flames, all rolled into one.

Rette slid along the floor a few feet, before latching onto a stone in the floor that barely offered a hand hold that she could dig her fingers into. Happy and Lucy weren't so lucky. The two were sent on a brief flight across the hall. Franmalth only laughed, absorbing Natsu's flames into his body. The demon's body became engulfed in flames.

"You're the one who defeated Jackal, right? But you know...you shouldn't underestimate us so much. We're demons of the Book of Zeref." All four members of Fairy Tail, froze on their spot, Rette's eyes widening. "We are biological weapons born from the demon book written by the black magic Zeref a long time ago. Don't forget that one of us is enough to rival the army of a whole country."

Rette felt a chill slowly claw its way down her spine, making her skin crawl. To think that somewhere on the cube, her friends, her family, were fighting with demons. It made her feel sick to her stomach. She had just gotten them back. She didn't want to lose them again. That these creatures were demons, explained the feeling she had gotten from them. She really didn't like this. Just knowing that she was near demons created by Zeref himself, had her mind flashing back to her childhood, to all those nights trapped in the dark hallways of a place over run with the same dark magic as that of what Zeref used.

"With your puny magic, you can't possibly win against our "curses". Besides, in ten minutes from now, Face will be activated and all mages on this continent will lose their magic. Do you understand? The era of the mages is about to end." Franmalth laughed.

"Shut the hell up."

Franmalth was cut off in his laughing when a fist suddenly smashed into his face, knocking him back on his back. Rette stood there, over him, flexing the fingers of her left hand. Natsu took a step back when he noticed the dark energy around Rette, once more. It was a clear sign that her thoughts had taken a turn for the worse. Franmalth looked up at her, taking note of the energy, himself. He had never seen a human who felt as Rette did in that moment. It was almost as if he was being faced by one of his own brethen.

"You are really starting to vex me. If Wendy fails, which I doubt, we will lose our magic, but in those nine remaining minutes...I'm going to use you as my personal punching bag." Rette declared.

Franmalth opened his mouth to say something in reply to her, but Rette's foot flashed out, kicking him across the face. She reversed the kick and slammed the heel of her boot down on the top of his head. Pressing down, she put her weight on the foot, slamming his head into the floor and pinning it there.

"I hate demons, I really do. Almost as much as I hate dark magic." Rette remarked. "You're all disgusting creatures."

Franmalth laughed at her, finally figuring out why she felt so familiar to him. Rette raised an eyebrow as she looked down at him, his grin really irritating her.

"You would know, wouldn't you?" he asked.

Rette's eyes widened just a fraction more before a flash of anger made her eyes turn sharp. Then she was lifting her foot and slamming it down on his head with even more force than she had before that, driving her heel into one eye.

"You don't know me or what you're talking about. Just die." Rette retorted.

"Yes, I believe your soul will do just fine."

"Rette, watch out!" Natsu called when Franmalth latched onto Rette's ankle.

Rette merely looked down at to where his hand was banded around her ankle. Franmalth was laughing like he had just won the fight.

Well...Rette had some news for him.

Slowly, Franmalth's laugh and grin faded, then, to her teammates shock, he let out a yell, as if he was in pain and released Rette, a dark crackle of electric power sizzling between her and him. He scrambled back away from her, Rette watching as he went.

"What's the matter? Bite off more than you can chew?" Rette asked darkly.

"What the hell are you!?" Franmalth asked.

"Question of the year. Too bad for you, I'm not inclined to answer you." Rette retorted, one hand flexing until the knuckles cracked.

Rette's next strike came without warning and had Franmalth jumping back to avoid it. Rette refused to let up, attacking and avoiding counter attacks. Just when she thought she would land one that would finally do some damage, the whole building begun to shake, knocking her off balance.

"What's this!?" Natsu asked.

"It's too late. The era of magic is finally over." Franmalth declared.

Rette refused to think that Wendy and Carla had failed. No matter what it might look like, she knew they wouldn't give up until they had succeeded, or died and she knew they weren't dead.

What's happening?" Lucy asked.

"It's a reaction to Face. About three minutes left? Magic will be lost soon." Franmalth laughed.

Rette retreated back until she was standing beside Natsu. She closed her eyes, focusing on the magic around her. She could sense the strong magic that pulsed through the ground, growing by the second until it felt similar to a balloon with too much air in it. Just when it felt like it would explode, something in the magic changed, the energy imploding instead of exploding, just as the clock was about to hit zero.

Franmalth started laughing, declaring that Face was activated, but Rette could still feel her magic. Opening her eyes and looking over at Natsu, his fire was still flickering away around his fist.

"My magic didn't vanish." Natsu remarked.

"Mine either. I can still sense everyone else's magic too." Rette added, Franmalth staring at them in shock. Rette turned to Lucy and Happy. "Lucy? Happy? What about you two?"

"It's true!" Lucy said, laying a hand over her keys to check that the connection was still there.

"Yay! Wendy and Carla did it!" Happy cheered.

"That's...impossible..." Franmalth said, flopping down on the floor in a deflated sort of way.

"Your evil plans end here." Natsu told him.

"Ooohh..do you know how much this mistake will cost you?" Franmalth asked, as if he hadn't heard Natsu.

"Give Mira back." Natsu demanded.

"Do you know just how much...how much...how much..."

Rette was sure Franmalth had cracked. Whatever brain he had possessed, had finally snapped and he was reduced to repeating himself. Next thing she knew, he was springing up, jumping for her and Natsu. The two jumped apart to avoid him.

"It's worth about one hundred thousand of your souls! Give me your soul! Give me your soul! And then give me your soul again!" he yelled, attacking Natsu and Rette with renewed vigor.

Rette wasn't completely positive, but she was pretty sure that that wasn't how souls worked. Once their soul was gone, it wasn't like they could give it to him again. It wasn't like it regenerated like their magic power did. They needed to find out some way of getting rid of this demon, once and for all. Rette was about to go back on the offense when, with a set wave of his hands, Franmalth cast one of Hades' spells, wrapping them in magic arrays.

Rette's eyes flew over the arrays, quickly identifying them.

"Amaterasu Form 28."

God, did she hate demons.

The resulting explosion shook the building. Rette cast her own spell, summoning a crystal to absorb enough of the blast to spare them their lives. It still dealt a great deal of damage. They all ended up on the ground, Rette gritting her teeth against the aching in her body. Franmalth took the chance to latch onto all of them. Where Rette only felt an annoying tug on her power which instantly kicked started a defense she hated to use, the others were reduced to pain.

"You can become part of my new collection. Your souls will be mine." Franmalth declared happily.

Rette began forcing herself to her feet. Franmalth's laughter tapered off as she got to one knee, then the other, and finally to her feet, fighting his tug on her power. Even Natsu was trying to force his way free, declaring that he wouldn't let Franmalth take his soul.

"It's useless to struggle." Franmalth said, though his eyes were watching Rette with almost fear in them.

"Lucy! Happy! Rette! Absolutely don't give up! Our souls must stay with us! Be strong! We're here!" Natsu yelled.

"He can't take what's mine. I refuse." Rette replied darkly.

Her anger was twisting, turning, as she watched her friends wraith in pain. The darkness was returning to her magical power, growing by the second. The chanting was back, repeating the same word over and over in the back of her head.

"My curse can't be broken by just thinking!" Franmalth said.

"My soul is here! Until I meet Igneel...I'll never...give you my soul! You won't have my will!" Natsu declared.

"How stubborn." Franmalth snapped.

"Feel it! The most important thing! The thing you can't let him have! That will keep your soul tied to you!" Natsu declared.

"I...I...will eat...fish with Carla...fish with Carla..." Happy stated.

"It's too late! I'm almost finished absorbing you!" Franmalth told them.

"You don't get it, do you?"

Franmalth focused on Rette as she finally straightened herself, her eyes landing on him with an intensity that he had only met once. Now he was for sure he knew why Rette was familiar to him and the realization made him balk in the face of her.

"Fairy Tail doesn't work like others want us to. We don't conform to other's expectations and molds. If we don't want to give you our souls, you sure as hell aren't going to get them! I'll kill anyone who dares to threaten what's mine." Rette swore. "Lucy...close Taurus' gate. Now!"

Lucy didn't stop to think, didn't question Rette for a second. She instantly close the gate. As soon as she did, Franmalth reacted, his body changing as the gate tried to open and send Taurus back to the Celestial world. Franmalth, to save himself, ejected Taurus.

"Now do Aries, Lucy!" Rette yelled.

"Aries, gate close!" Franmalth was forced to release Aries too. Catching on to this, Lucy decided to try something. "Natsu, Rette, gate closed!"

Fearing that Rette and Natsu were spirits as well, Franmalth quickly released them. A grin curled Natsu's lips before the two of them charged him, revealing Lucy's bluff for what it had been. Rette and Natsu landed solid hits to Franmalth, forcing him to release Lucy and Happy. When Franmalth reminded them that magic didn't work on him. Natsu and Rette compromised. Standing off behind Natsu, Rette waited as Natsu heaved a large section of the floor over his head. Since it was an object without a soul, Franmalth wouldn't be able to absorb it.

Natsu grinned, chuckling darkly to himself before glancing at Rette over his shoulder. All it took was one look before Rette launched herself forward. She hit the section of floor with a strong enough kick to send it smashing down on top of Franmalth with an amount of force that left the demon in a mess, half embedded into the floor. As they watched, Franmalth's body broke up, slowly vanishing into balls of light.

"Those would be the souls he absorbed, going back home where they belong." Rette remarked, Natsu agreeing.

"It's not over yet."

Natsu, Rette, Lucy, and Happy, twisted around, finding the ghost of Hades behind them. Rette had never believed in ghost, but it was kind of hard not to when faced with one in person.

"Tartaros' real goal is not Face. Tell Makarov that it's time to let out the light."

With that, Hades vanished, just like the rest of the souls.

"What was that?" Natsu asked.

"The ghost of Master Hades!" Lucy squealed.

"I'm more concerned with what he said than what he was." Rette remarked. "Let out the light..."

"What did he mean?" Lucy questioned.

"He said to tell our master." Happy reminded her.

It clicked in Rette's head what it might be, but since it was suppose to be a secret, Rette didn't say a word. Mavis had trusted her with the secret and she would keep it.

"It seems like Face was stopped thanks to Wendy and Carla, but we still have to find Mira." Lucy said.

"We have to settle matters with everyone here anyway." Natsu agreed.

"I'm going to Master's place." Happy told them.

When he was gone, Lucy turned to Rette, curious about something.

"Rette."

"Hmm?"

"Why did it hurt him to try to absorb your soul?" Lucy asked.

For a moment, Rette seemed to have frozen on the spot. When she finally did turn to look at her, her expression was guarded, as if the answer was something she didn't want to share.

"I don't know."

Lucy knew it was a lie, Natsu knew it was a lie. They were both sure that Rette knew exactly why it had hurt Franmalth to try to absorb her soul and she just refused to share with them.

"Rette, if it's someth-"

"You know, all of you say the same thing. For once, if I say I don't know, can you not just take it at face value? I think we have better things to do than to psychoanalyze me." Rette said, cutting off Lucy. "We still need to find Mira."

That was enough to get Natsu in gear and with him taking off, Lucy was forced to drop the subject and follow. Rette brought up the rear of the group. Lucy, using what little remained of her shirt, made a makeshift shirt as they walked.

"Gray should be keeping the enemy busy over there." Lucy remarked, glancing in one direction.

"I think Mira is also somewhere on this floor." Natsu added.

Rette was about to ask a question when a voice suddenly spoke in their heads, bringing them all to a stop.

" _Can you hear me?_ "

"Warren?" Rette asked.

" _Mira is okay, she's with us._ " Rette heaved a relieved sigh at the news. " _Elfman and Lisanna are here too._ "

"Hey Warren, can you make it so that everyone hears my voice?" Lucy asked.

" _Yeah...wait a second...okay._ "

"Wendy and Carla stopped Face! We crushed the enemy's plan!" Lucy announced.

Cheers filled Rette's head as her guild mates celebrated the news. It was a point to their side in this fight.

" _Regarding what happened afterwards...can the master hear this too?_ " came Happy's voice.

Warren made sure that Makarov could hear the conversation too, giving Happy the go ahead. Rette listened closely, to hear Makarov's response to the news.

" _We met the soul of Master Hades. He said that even though we could stop Face...it's not over yet. Hades said to tell you to "release the light"._ " Happy reported.

" _The light..!?_ "

In those two simple words, Rette knew he was thinking the same thing as her.

Lumen Histoire.

" _What does that mean!?_ " Makarov yelled.

" _I don't know either._ " Happy replied.

Suddenly a noise that Rette couldn't even describe, sounded over the connection, followed by a gagging noise from Warren's end of the connection. Then a new voice Rette had never heard, entered the connection.

" _Wizarding guild Fairy Tail. Right?_ "

Someone was hijacking Warren's telepathy magic. Rette didn't like this. As if her anger wasn't already an issue that day. She was barely containing it and now someone was hurting one of her friends by hijacking his magic.

" _Who are you, bastard!?_ " came Elfman's voice.

" _The king of Hades, Mard Geer. But you don't have to remember that. Since you have no tomorrow. Alegria._ "

Suddenly, the whole cube the building stood on, began to shift and change. The walls around Rette and her group began to shift and change, knocking them off their feet. Natsu latched onto the back of Rette's belt and reached for Lucy so they wouldn't be separated.

"Lucy!" he called.

Lucy reached for Natsu as Rette latched onto this arm so her belt wouldn't snap. Lucy and Natsu were close to having hold of each other, but they were quickly yanked apart, separating her from Natsu and Rette. Rette struggled as the very building around them, begun to absorb them.

NO!

Rette would have let herself be absorbed! She would not let down her guild and family. She would fight to her last breath. Screw these demons and their curses! She had a sort-of curse of her own and she was more than happy to use it if it meant helping her family. With a roar of anger, the emotion blinding her in a fit of rage, Rette exploded free of wall that had almost sucked her completely in. She crumpled to the ground, gasping in air.

"Stu...stupid...demons...I...I hate demons!" Rette gasped.

Rette looked around, searching for Natsu, but he was no where to be seen. She tried to sense him, but him, along with all the other members of the guild, had been absorbed into the very building, their magics over powered by that that coursed through the cube.

No, wait.

There was one person left.

Rette's head whipped to the left as Lucy's magical energy came through loud and clear. Surging to her feet, Rette took off. If they were the last two left in action, then Rette needed to find Lucy before anyone else could find either of them. Sliding down slopes and tripping over fallen pieces of wall, Rette ran through the halls. Somewhere during the whole shifting of the building, Rette had lost her boots and her clothes had become ripped, so there were a few steps in which Rette cursed because she stepped on a jagged piece of stone.

Rette slid to a stop, turning on the spot until she located Lucy and took off again. The energy was coming from just in front of her. Rette burst free of a hall only to find that the floor sudden sloped. Cursing herself, Rette went tumbling down the slope.

"Rette!"

Lucy's voice filled her ears as Rette pushed herself up. Then the girl was there beside her, checking her for any really bad injuries.

"I'm fine. What about you?" Rette asked.

"I'm fine. But what happened!? Where is everyone?" Lucy asked.

"No idea, but I don't like this. I can't sense any of their magical energies past the energy of this place." Rette told her.

Lucy looked around them, her eyes finally falling on a window. Gesturing to it, the two of them climbed up to it, peering outside. Beyond the window, lay Magnolia. Whatever the cube had transformed into, it was destroying the town. A sharp noise cut through their heads then, making both girls clamp their hands over their ears.

" _People from Tartaros. We got rid of all the intruders with Alegria. The Face project can go on as per our plans._ " came the voice that had called himself Mard Geer.

Rette didn't like this. This Mard Geer had to know that the curse had missed her and Lucy and if he knew that, he should have been sending people after them. Rette didn't like this at all. Something bad was about to happen, she knew it.

" _However...for some reason, two humans were able to escape Alegria._ "

And there it was.

Behind Rette, a trickling fall of water suddenly exploded, water rushing in to sweep away Rette and Lucy. Rette reached for Lucy, not wanting to lose her.

"Lucy, grab my hand!" Rette called.

Lucy took hold of Rette's hand, the two pulling each other, until they could latch onto to each other completely.

" _I'll give the title of one of the missing Kyuukimon to the soldier that kills them. In case one of the Kyuukimon kills them, Mard Geer will give them a prize._ "

Rette _**really**_ hated demons.

Lucy was able to latch onto a floating log and pulled herself up. She reached down and started pulling Rette up. It was then that some soldiers spotted them. Rette, suffering from motion sickness, held on to the log tightly while Lucy cleared their way with her whip. More soldiers took their place though.

"Lucy, make a jump for it!" Rette yelled, pointing to another log ahead of them.

Releasing the log and forcing her stomach to behave, Rette launched herself off the log, hopping off one soldier's head to land on the next log. Lucy followed her, making the log bob when she hit it.

"Open! Gate of the Archer! Sagitarius!"

Sagitarius appeared then, just as some weird girl with bunny ears came spinning towards them. Sagitarius shot at her with arrows, but they simply bounced off the little demon.

"Lucy, try a different spirit!" Rette advice, her stomach giving another flip. "And find land soon!"

"I'm trying! Sagitarius, close! I summon Virgo!"

Virgo appeared, riding the waves like a surfing pro. She took on the bunny-like demon, shouting a warning that something was heading for Lucy and Rette from above. Rette looked up, finding another demon dropping in. Lucy pushed Rette down.

"Open, gate of the Lion, Loke!"

Loke appeared, blocking the blade of the demon. Though he had been able to block the majority of the swing, it still cut him. Loke shook it off though.

"Are you okay, Loke?" Lucy asked.

"I'm fine." Loke promised.

Lucy sagged against Rette then. Rette caught her, realizing instantly what was wrong. Lucy was keeping two gates open at once, both of those gates draining quite a bit of magic from her. Seeing this, Loke and Virgo attacked merciless, but that wasn't the end of their troubles.

"Found ya."

Rette looked up, finding another demon standing on a bridge of sorts over their heads. This one had jackal-like ears poking up out of his head. Lucy gasped like she knew him. Lucy was already using too much magical energy. Laying a hand on Lucy's shoulder, she pushed her back.

"Leave this one to me." Rette declared, making the demon, Jackal as he was called, grin. "I'm getting really tired of demons."

Rette launched herself off the log, flying right for Jackal. She yanked a fist back, hitting him with more force than he had thought she would have. She knocked him back, but he simply grinned.

"Rette! His curse blows up everything that comes in contact with him!" Lucy warned.

Rette looked down at her fist as a symbol glowed to life on her skin. She looked up at Jackal in time to catch his grin before the symbol blew up. A cloud of dust rose from the spot where Rette had stood, Jackal cackling while Lucy screamed Rette's name.

"You demons aren't the brightest things in the world, are you?"

Jackal's laughed stood, Lucy letting out a cry of relief as Rette waved the dust cloud away. There were no new scratches on her and in one hand, she held a yellow and black crystal. Jackal's jaw dropped as she dust herself off.

"H-how!?" Jackal demanded.

Rette fixed her two-toned eyes on him then, the intensity of her gaze, making him flinch, though he didn't know why the stare unsettled him. Rette turned the crystal over in her fingers as she turned to face him. Idly, she wrapped her fingers around the crystal and, with a flex of her hand, crushed it, resulting in a small explosion in her hand. It stung, but she didn't really care at the moment.

"I'm only going to say this once. Just like your little comrade found out earlier when he tried to absorb my soul...you're curses don't work on me." Rette told him.

Rette took a step towards Jackal, the demon taking one back away from her before he stopped to think about it. He could feel the darkness of her magical energy falling over her like a cloak, coating the surrounding area in it. He had only felt one person with an energy similar to Rette's at the moment.

"With that said, let's have a little chat about what the hell you bastards did with my family." Rette barked, her tone dipping down.

Lucy was sure, in that moment, that Jackal was screwed.

END

Kyandi: Personally, even with the exploding for coming into contact with him, crap, I would still smack Jackal across the face.

Rette: He's a rude, stupid, jack-

Kyandi: Let's not finish that sentence.

Rette: Well, he is.

Kyandi: I know, but let's not finish that.

Rette: Fine.

Kyandi: Hopefully, I'll have another chapter for all of you soon.

Rette: She was only able to put this up today because she had the day off work.

Kyandi: I love my job, but it leaves me tired.

Rette: I know how you feel.

Kyandi: I bet. Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: We will return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	26. Divine Unveiling

Kyandi: Howdy, Kyandiacs!

Rette: Kyandi-sama doesn't have much free time but she makes a little free time to write as much as she can.

Kyandi: I'm trying. My new job is as a day care assistant. I love the children and everything, but...even when they're suppose to be taking a nap, it's difficult.

Rette: But you love your job.

Kyandi: That I do. And all jobs have their down sides. On the bright side, I still have my weekends in which I can write and upload!

Rette: Goody for that.

Kyandi: Right, so everyone, review and enjoy.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 26 Divine Unveiling

"Now, tell me, what happened to my friends."

Lucy didn't like the deadly intensity in Rette's eyes as she faced Jackal. Jackal, in reply, raised a hand, but Rette moved with a swiftness that she only possessed when she was deathly close to losing her temper. She grabbed the demon by the scarf wrapped around his neck, yanking him forward as she spread the fingers of her left hand in front of his face.

"Wrong answer." Rette said, her hand glowing.

A second later, a light blast went off in the demon's face, sending him tumbling backwards away from her. Rette was aware enough that she couldn't prolong this fight. Her magic energy would only last so long and once she had hit empty, she would no longer be able to absorb Jackal's bombs. Lucy knew this too. Rette, even with her anger giving her an extra boost, would run dry just like any other mage. And given how fiercely she was attacking Jackal, hitting with blast after blast, Lucy was sure Rette would run out quickly.

But no one messed with Rette's family without her losing her temper and demolishing a few things.

And demolishing things, she was.

Lucy, as well as many other members of the guild, had taken to likening Rette to a wrecking ball when she was angry. And the simile wasn't that far off, especially given how she was knocking Jackal through walls, absorbing the explosion from touching him, and then using said explosion to knock him through more walls. Even being seven years older, Rette's temper was infamous.

Lucy winced when Rette landed a knee to Jackal's face. She didn't want to know how much that hurt Jackal, or how much that hurt Rette's knee. Rette drew the knee back, casting her spell to absorb the explosion before it could take out an important joint. She braced her feet, fighting to even out her breathing.

"Rette?" Lucy called.

She could tell that Rette's energy was dwindling. She was helping Loke and Virgo all she could by taking on Jackal, but it was costing her more energy.

"Have I mentioned how much I hate demons? Presistant little pains, aren't they?" Rette remarked.

Jackal, his nose bloodied from Rette's knee, got to his feet, wiping the blood on the back of his hand. He grinned as he looked at Rette.

"Runnin' a little low on juice?" he taunted.

"Taunting? You just became even stupider in my eyes." Rette replied.

She jumped to the side, avoiding Jackal's attack. Really? That was all it took? It wasn't even a challenge. Verbal abuse was a lost art, apparently. Jumping, Rette avoiding the kick coming at her knees. Jackal, the idiot, looked up in time for Rette to plant a foot in his face. Using his face as a kick board, she jumped, landing next to Lucy who was finally on dry land.

"I want my answer. What happened to my friends?" Rette demanded, looking up at Jackal.

Jackal just chuckled at her. Rette really hated that. What exactly did these demons think she was? They obviously didn't think she was much of anything, or they wouldn't constantly be laughing at her.

"Don't play, just kill them." one of the other demons said.

"Both the fireball guy and the blue cat died. I'll have to unleash my rage on these girls. I'll torment the both of them a bit more." Jackal replied.

Rette threw up a shield in time to save herself and Lucy. The explosion, though, took out the ground under their feet, sending them both tumbling back into the water. Rette was not going to believe a word that Jackal said. She knew, just as well as Lucy did, that her guild mates were alive. It was just their turn to play the hero for their guild mates.

After all, given that she had waited for her guild mates to return for seven years, believing the whole time that they were alive even when everyone else had given up...Rette wasn't about to stop believing in them now.

Rette swooped, avoiding an explosion and grabbed Lucy around the waist, pulling her up towards the surface of the water. Lucy, already a step ahead of Rette, had a key in her hand as they broke the surface.

"Open, Gate of the Water Bearer! Aquarius!"

Well, crap was just about to hit the fan.

Rette wasn't exactly sure how she felt about Aquarius. The spirit definitely had a lot of...well, spirit. She wasn't someone that Rette wanted on her bad side. Especially since Rette wasn't the strongest swimmer in the world when there was an over sized fish trying to drown her. That aside, she liked Aquarius and her spunk. The spirit was a model example of a strong woman and despite what she said, Rette knew she cared about Lucy.

Rette held on to Lucy tightly, Lucy sagging against her as she used what little magic she had left to summon Aquarius.

"Idiot."

Rette looked up as an arm wrapped around them, supporting them so they didn't sink when Lucy sagged against Rette. Right behind them, her gorde tucked under one arm, was Aquarius.

"Aquarius." Rette breathed.

"You came." Lucy said happily.

"Idiot. Both of you. Take her." Aquarius said, her eyes focusing on Rette when she said the last two words.

Instead of questioning her or arguing with her about the idiot thing, Rette simply did as told. If she had been younger, she might have been more offended, but she had learn, since her friends had vanished, to prioritize things better. She wrapped one of Lucy's arms around her neck and heaved the girl out of the water and onto dry land. Sinking to the ground, Rette settled Lucy in her lap.

"Stay back, girls." Aquarius ordered.

"Not a problem." Rette replied.

Sitting back was perfectly fine with her. It wasn't like she wanted to stand between Aquarius and an enemy anyway. Drowning was not on her list of things to do that day.

Or ever.

Rette held on to Lucy as Aquarius swept everyone else up into a typhoon of water. From across the water, Loke and Virgo called for Lucy to close one of the gates now that she had a chance, but it was then that they learned that one of the demons could swim through Aquarius' water. He came torpedoing towards Aquarius, like a shark against the current, and attacked Aquarius. Loke and Virgo tried to rush to her aide, but Jackal attacked them from behind.

Water surged up around Lucy and Rette as Jackal exploded the area around the two spirits. Rette clung tightly to Lucy. Lucy was distracted and when a huge wave surged their way, Rette wrapped an arm around Lucy's head, protecting her as they were sent crashing into the ground. Rette felt her shoulder crack as it was knocked out of joint. Latching onto her shoulder, Rette rolled onto her back, gritting her teeth at the pain.

"What, summoning three of 'em was her trump card?"

Rette rolled onto her side, trying to fight back the pain as Jackal, the bunny demon, Lamy, and the shark-like demon, Torafusa, approached them, standing over them with grins on their faces. Rette tried to push herself up, but her dislocated arm wouldn't support any weight at all and she crashed back down into the ground.

"She probably can't move anymore cos she used too much magic." Lamy taunted.

"I'll kill her with one blow and then move on to the next one." Torafusa told his companions.

"Isn't that boring?" Jackal asked.

"Yeah, we should torture them both more. But I want to get the prize!" Lamy said, laughing as she rubbed her hands together.

Lucy tried to get up, but Jackal crippled one of her legs by using a small explosion. Rette grit her teeth against her anger as Lamy and Jackal laughed at the pained expression on Lucy's face.

"Cut it out. If you won't kill her, I will." Torafusa told Jackal.

"Uh? Weren't you on our side? Ya want me to kill you first?" Jackal asked.

Torafusa stared at Jackal for a moment before turning on his heel to leave.

"It's just pointless to talk to you, whatever." he said.

"Tahahahah, no need to tell me." Jackal laughed.

"What are you doing next, Jackal?" Lamy asked, grabbing Lucy's wrist and pulling her half up off the ground. "Her boobs are uselessly big. Blow them up."

Rette, fearing for Lucy, rolled to her knees, reaching up to force her shoulder back into joint. The pain was sharp and instant, a painful ache settling into the joint, but Rette didn't have time to worry about it. Jackal was reaching for Lucy as Rette struggled to her feet, but...Jackal grabbed Lamy by the face instead, blowing up the small demon.

"She was your comrade." Lucy said.

"You should worry about what's gonna happen to you next. Let's have f-"

Jackal let out a grunt as Rette rammed him from the side, knocking him away from Lucy. A second later, an explosion blew across the back of her shoulders where she had hit Jackal, crumpling Rette to the ground.

"Rette!" Lucy cried in concern.

"I-I'm fine." Rette replied, shifting to get back to her knees.

Really, she felt like screaming in pain.

The explosion had hurt more than Rette wanted to admit, but in a fight for her life, it wasn't like she could merely just tap out of the fight. When Jackal turned a glare on Rette, she scrambled over to Lucy, throwing her body over Lucy's to somewhat shield her. She glared back at Jackal, silently telling him that if he wanted Lucy, he would have to go through her first.

Letting out an annoyed growl, Jackal started towards them. Rette tensed up, ready for any blow he sent her way. He would only get to Lucy through her dead body. Just as Jackal was reaching for Rette, a sudden wave of water rushed past them, wiping Jackal out. Rette wrapped her arms around Lucy, holding on to her. Moments later, two arms wrapped around Rette and Lucy, lifting the two. Rette looked up, finding Aquarius.

"Aquarius..." Lucy called lowly.

"Lucy, I can only stop him. Same for the other spirits and your friend there is running low on magic. They're too strong." Aquarius said, setting the two down on the ground. "But we still have a chance of winning."

"Eh?" Lucy asked.

"I can only block him for a while. Listen, Lucy. If you can open three gates at the same time I'm sure you can do it. Summon the Celestial Spirit King."

"The Spirit King?" Lucy asked.

"As you know, he's the strongest among the spirits. His attack of the stars can annihilate the enemy." Aquarius told her.

"But...I don't have the key." Lucy replied.

"There is nothing "physical" to summon him. Only a certain special key can open his gate. Substitution Summoning technique. By breaking one of the gold keys you can open the gate of the Spirit King once."

Even Rette felt a chill go down her spine. She knew how much each and everyone of her keys, of her spirit friends, meant to Lucy. The thought of breaking one of those keys would tear Lucy's heart apart.

"Breaking...a gold key?" Lucy asked, her eyes widening.

Across the way, Jackal was fighting against the water, exploding his surrounding area in an attempt to free himself from the flow of the water.

"It won't work with just any key. If there isn't a strong mutual trust between the owner and the spirit, the gate won't open." Aquarius added.

"I can't do...something like that! No! They're all important, I don't want to lose any of-"

"Break my key."

Both Lucy and Rette stared at Aquarius, shocked by her sudden demand. Aquarius, as far as Rette had known, had been with Lucy the longest and her key had been passed to Lucy from her mother. Aquarius and her key were important to Lucy for more than one reason. So very important.

"I'm not sure about trust, but we've been together for a long time, it will work." Aquarius said.

"What...are you saying?" Lucy asked.

"It's to save your friends."

"You're one of my friends too! I can't sacrifice someone to save the others! There must be another way! I'm not giving up! I have Rette with me, too!" Lucy protested.

"I wouldn't suggest you do this if there was another way. And look at your friend. She has no more energy than you do and she's hurting more than she wants you to know." Aquarius said, glancing at Rette.

"No..."

"It's the only way."

"No...I don't want to!" Lucy cried.

Jackal was slowly making his way towards them and Aquarius was having a hard time keeping him back.

"Lucy, there's no time. My power is already..."

"No..."

"I won't die if you break my key. We just won't be able to meet again." Aquarius insisted.

"I don't want that." Lucy told her, tears sliding her cheeks.

"I'm actually looking forward to it. I was the spirit of your mother, Leila. When she died and I was handed to you, I was really disappointed. You cry often. You're a brat. You don't know how the world works. You're not graceful like Leila was. I only endured it because you're Leila's daughter. But actually...I've been hating you the whole time." Aquarius said.

Rette knew that wasn't true. Aquarius wouldn't be willing to sacrifice her key for Lucy, if she didn't care at least a little. And Lucy knew it.

"I don't care if you hate me! I like you. You're my first friend...my..."

"Stop relying on others! Only you can save your friends now! What's important!? Memories!? Keys!? Feelings of guilt!? I don't think so! It's the power to save your friends! The power of a Celestial mage! Do it! Break my key! Only you can do it! " Aquarius demanded.

"I like you, Aquarius."

"Do it! Lucy!"

Rette moved up to Lucy's side, wrapping an arm around Lucy, letting Lucy lean into her for a moment. Pressing her forehead against the side of Lucy's, Rette spoke.

"Whatever choice you make, Lucy, I'm right here. I'll be here for you. Remember, you might not see her again for a while, but the key will appear in this world again. You can always find it again."

Though it was through tears and crying her heart out, Lucy gripped Rette's hand in one hand and raised Aquarius' key into the air.

"Open...Gate of the...Spirit King!"

Aquarius looked back at Lucy, tears in her own eyes as well. Aquarius gave Rette a nod, as if silently asking Rette to be there for Lucy. Rette gave her a bow of her head, silently promising she would be there for her friend.

The key in Lucy's hand dissolved, breaking apart. The water around them resided, vanishing as winds picked up around them. The light around them increased, the heavens lighting up as what appeared to be shooting star, rocketed towards them. The Spirit King made his appearance by crashing straight through the cube.

"What did you do, stupid girl!?" Jackal snapped.

Rette and Lucy were sent tumbling off their feet as the cube crumbled to the ground. At least the cube was stopped and was now the least of their worries. When the world around them stopped moving, Rette scrambled over to Lucy, checking on her. Over their heads, the Spirit King floated in the side, his sword in hand. Rette looked up at him, her sharper eyes and ears picking up the scene. She noticed that he was facing off with a dark haired man standing on a cliff created by the remains of the cube. The Spirit King greeted him as the King of Hades.

 _That must be the Tartaros guild master,_ Rette thought.

"I didn't think there was someone able to summon the Spirit King." the man, Mard Geer, said.

Rette knew that voice. It had been the voice that had spoken in her head before the cube had absorbed her guild mates.

"You're still carrying that book. It's been a long time." Spirit King said.

"This is END's soul. Tartaros itself." Mard Geer replied.

END, the demon that Igneel couldn't defeat. The demon that Atlas Flame had warned them about and the strongest demon Zeref had ever created. So that book was the demon's very soul.

"What are you scheming? King of Hades." Spirit King asked.

"Haven't you realized by now? We're going to resuscitate END and return to Zeref's place." Mard Geer replied.

"Is it for that reason that my old and her comrade are lying wounded on the ground?" Spirit King asked.

"Yes."

"Is it for that reason that my old friend is shedding tears?"

Spirit King glanced down at Rette and Lucy, Rette hovering over a crying Lucy. Both were beaten up, though Rette was fairing better than Lucy was at this point.

"Why don't we end our fight, Spirit King?" Mard Geer asked.

"Thanks to the contract with my old friend and her resolve, I will annihilate her enemy." Spirit King declared. "I won't forgive you!"

The collision of power between the two was enough to make Rette have to plaster herself to the ground over Lucy, just to keep from being blown away. For someone a tenth of Spirit King's size, Mard Geer handled the spirit expertly. Even with one hand taken up holding onto the book. Mard Geer, it seemed, used a curse of endlessly growing thorns. Something that could be dangerous, but not unmanagable. Watching the fight, Rette was sure she was glad that Spirit King was on her side and not against her. His next attack carved a path of damage across the ground that had to be several miles long.

"What the!? What's going on outside!?" Jackal asked, turning on Rette and Lucy. "Shit! What the fuck did you do!? You bitches!"

Rette wrapped her arms around Lucy, ready to defend them when Jackal turned to them. She could see the explosion building around his hand. Just before he could attack, Rette felt a surge in power from Lucy, a water barrier appearing around them.

"A water barrier...Aquarius!?" Lucy called, looking around them.

"Lucy...it's coming from you." Rette told her.

Lucy looked at Rette before looking down at her hands. She could feel magic surging up in her, her clothes and hair changing and the same tattoo that marked Aquarius' collar bones, appearing on her collar bones. It was then that they heard the voice in their heads.

" _I changed Aquarius' magic into power for my old friend. Stand up, old friend._ "

Lucy got to her feet, her power restored and her energy back. To Rette's surprise, she felt a surge in her own power, a rush making her head spin.

 _"You as well. Stand and fight._ " came the Spirit King's voice.

"With pleasure." Rette replied, rising to her feet, turning to Lucy and gesturing towards Jackal. "You want to deal with him? After all...Aquarius was your first friend."

As much as Rette wanted to beat the living day lights out of Jackal for making Lucy break Aquarius' key to summon the Spirit King and therefore making her cry, Rette thought it would be more appropriate for Lucy to be the one to defeat him.

"Yes."

"Good. Then I'm going to figure out a way to get our friends back." Rette told her.

Lucy nodded and Rette launched herself into the air, her Sun Wings sprouting to carrying her up and outside. Hovering in the sky, she watched the Spirit King and Mard Geer fight. While she had said she would find a way to bring the others back, she wasn't sure how she was going to achieve that. Down below, she felt Lucy put all the magic power she had just gained, into one last spell that took down her enemy for good. Lucy had fulfilled her part, now Rette needed to find a way to bring back their fiends.

It was then that Spirit King noticed her out of the corner of his eye. It was just the briefest of glances, just barely catching sight of her with the wings of light sprouting from her back, before he focused on his fight once more. Rette was still fighting to figure out how to save her friends.

"Little one with the magic of creation's light," Rette's head snapped up as Spirit King called out to her, drawing Mard Geer's eyes to her form in the sky. "You have the magic to bring forth that that is lost. You know the spell."

The spell to bring back that that was lost?

Rette's eyes flew open wide as his meaning clicked in her head. Light of Creation magic was, literally, magic that use the light of the world, the light of God's greatest creation. It, like Lucy's Celestial Spirit magic, had one ultimate spell that produce magic beyond the normal level spell.

"Divine Unveiling." Rette breathed.

She had forgotten this spell because she had never had use of it before. She hadn't has a use for in the twenty or so years she had been using the magic. It would nearly drain what was left of her magic, but it could possibly save all of her friends. Yes, it would work. Nodding more to herself than to anything, Rette took in a deep breathe, centering herself.

"Godly light bursting forth from the shadows of the past and the clouds of the future, divine brightness falling on the world, shedding light to all that is wicked and dark," Mard Geer, from where he stood fighting the Spirit King, was surprised. A mage that could perform the magic of creation's light. "Unveil that which defies you and cast it into the oblivion of light. Divine Unveiling!"

The very world around them became drowned in light, the light growing in intensity. Every demon, when confronted with the light, shielded their eyes, unable to stand the light that seemed to burn their very skin. Rette felt the warmth of the magic fill her body, over flowing with the light. Around her, to her very senses, she felt it as the light located the very life force of each and every one of her guild mates, shining light on them and bringing them up out of the dark.

All over the remains of the cube, the Fairy Tail members were returned, all confused as the brightest light they had ever seen, blinded them. When the light begun to fade, Rette sank to the ground, sinking until she landed next to Lucy, so tired and exhausted. She had just crumpled as Spirit King's time in their realm ended. A couple of yards from her, Torafusa pushed his way clear of the wreckage.

"What just happened...does this mean that even Jackal and Lamy were defeated by these little brats!?" Rette looked up as Torafusa spoke, his angry glare directed at her and Lucy. Shakily, Rette got to her feet, standing between him and Lucy. "What the hell kind of magic do you two use!? This is exactly why I told them to kill you immediately!"

Rette braced herself for the attack. She didn't have much magic energy left, but she would stand her ground to her final breath. She saw the flashing of Torafusa's blade as he swung it towards her.

"Get down, Starrilia!"

Rette knew that voice, and didn't question it. She hit the ground just as Gajeel flew over her head, crashing into Torafusa. Rette and Lucy looked up as Torafusa slid across the ground, managing to stay on his feet.

"Impossible! The only human left alive should have been those two little girls!" Torafusa said.

"And?" Gajeel asked.

Above Gajeel, a swirl of black mist came whipping towards him. Before Rette could get a warning out of her mouth, Juvia showed up. Right behind her came a man who smell an awful lot like Gray and used ice magic just like him. He tried to freeze Juvia, only for Gray to step in and save her. When the smoke from the cancelled out blasts, cleared, another man dropped in, Natsu showing up to deal with him, by sucking in the flames from whatever blast the man had unleashed.

"I don't really know what's goin' on, but somehow I get the feeling that you two really saved our asses, Lucy, Rette." Natsu said.

"I was just lucky I was reminded about the spell Divine Unveiling. I was able to use it to pull all of you back out." Rette replied, heaving a sigh.

"You did good, Rette." Gray told her.

"Yeah, but I'm running on fumes now." Rette retorted. Then it hit her. Rette's eyes flew to Gray. She was glad she had started using this more because she needed the energy to keep fighting. "Gray."

Gray looked back at Rette, who was staring at him in determination. He wasn't sure he liked that look on her face. Usually meant she wanted to do something stupid.

"Hit me with your ice." she told him.

"What!? Are you insane?" Gray asked.

"You know it won't effect me. Come on, help a woman out. I need a boost here." Rette told him.

Torafusa and his three comrades, Keith, Tempester, and Silver, watched as, grumbling to himself, Gray turned to face Rette.

"Don't blame me when one of these time, I give you frostbite." Gray told her.

"I have the hide of an ice dragon, Gray. You can't give me frostbite." Rette retorted.

"Yeah, yeah."

Without another word, Gray hit her, full on, with his Ice Geyser, completely encasing Rette in ice.

"He attacked his own comrade...and she asked him to." Torafusa remarked.

"Rette can't be effected by ice magic. She's fine." Gray retorted, glancing at them over his shoulder.

As if to prove his point, crunching noises, much like that of someone chowing down on something, reached their ears. As they watched the ice was slowly consumed, revealing Rette as she sucked the last of the ice, and it's magic, into her gut. She swallowed the last bite and let out a happily relieved noise. She could feel a bit of her energy return.

She had to admit, being a Dragon Slayer had it's perks.

"Thanks, Gray. I needed the power up."

"No sweat." Gray told her, turning to look at Silver. "You are...no. There's no way."

"He's the one who froze the titans' village." Natsu said.

"Hm? His smell reminds me of you." Gajeel added, turning to look at Gray.

"I've noticed that too." Rette piped in. "Almost like he could be related to y-"

Rette was cut off when there was a sharp gust of wind as Silver launched himself forward, snagging Gray. Rette turned but with a "I'll get him" from Silver, he and Gray were gone. Rette turned towards the remaining three as Tempester prepared to attack. Encasing her fingers in crystal, Rette sank them deep in the ground, keeping herself anchored to the ground while the tornadoes Tempester unleashed, swept the others up. Rette coated her feet in crystal, crafting claws from her toes. With those, she was able to completely anchor herself while the others went flying into the air.

All but one.

Gajeel, using his iron skin to make himself too heavy, took the charge. He was intercepted by Torafusa though, the demon's thick hide stopping Gajeel's punch. Gajeel made an annoyed noise.

"Starrilia! Take down the bastard!" Gajeel yelled.

Rette shot past Gajeel, aiming for Tempester. A dart to the side and she avoided Keith, letting Natsu confront him. Tempester's eyes widened as Rette came charging under his guard faster than he had expected her to be able to move when just moments ago, she had been too tired to move. Tempester opened his mouth, an imitation of an explosion sound, leaving his mouth. Rette's eyes widened when an explosion went off in her face. To Tempester's surprise, Rette came flying out of the smoke, unscathed.

"I'm getting really tired of all of you trying to pull the same tricks." Rette snapped, landing a punch to Tempester's gut.

Behind Rette, having batted of her guild mates, the other two demons turned to look at Rette as she braced her feet. Heaving a huff, she blew her hair out of her face, her guild mates getting to their feet behind her. Natsu stepped up to Rette's side as she tossed a crystal up into the air and caught it as it fell.

"Conductor Crystal?" Gajeel asked.

"Seems that, as far as my Conductor Crystal is concerned, curses are no different than magic." Rette said, her eyes going to the three demons facing them. "I can absorb the attack either way. In short...their curses won't work on me."

This made Natsu and Gajeel grin one of their evil grins that they got when they had just gotten an idea that was bound to be aweful for someone else. One shared look between them and Rette, and it was like Rette knew exactly what was on their minds. One corner of her mouth turned up.

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Natsu asked.

"For once, I do believe I am." Rette replied.

"Good. Then you got our backs." Natsu declared, turning to look at the demons.

"You bet."

Natsu nodded, feeling all fired up now that they had Rette to absorb the more life threatening attacks thrown their ways.

"Let's go!" Natsu declared, charging into battle.

Rette remained back, guarding Lucy and watching out for her guild mates. She watched as Gajeel squared off against Torafusa, Natsu against Tempester, and Juvia against Keith. Natsu and Gajeel, she noticed, had grown better at working as a team, but Tempester made it difficult for the two. Rette figured out pretty quickly that Tempester's curse worked by him imitating sounds. If he made a boom sound, it was an explosion, if he made a sound like that of slicing, high speed winds, tornadoes came to being. Most of it, Rette could absorb, putting a little bump in his plans.

Torfusa, though, was a completely different matter. His skin was thick and tough. Gajeel was having a little trouble dealing the demon any damage. Not to say that he wasn't. Now and then, just to mess with the demon, Rette would throw out one of the Conductor Crystals she had just absorbed from Tempester. Gajeel knew to clear the area when one of the crystals came flying between them. Torafusa was a little slower on the up take.

Then there was Keith. The demon had the ability to turn himself into a mist, making it hard for Juvia to attack, though Rette had a feeling that Juvia would figure it out sooner or later. The woman was smart, despite all of her craziness when Gray was around.

Beside Rette, Lucy tried pushing herself up. Rette knelt beside her, coaxing her back down.

"I can...still..."

"Rest." Natsu told Lucy, cutting her off. "We'll be fine."

"Also, I've been sensing it for a while." Gajeel said.

"Yeah." Natsu agreed.

"This smell...it's them." Gajeel said.

Rette, curious as to what they meant, spread out her sensing, searching the area around her while she raised her nose to the air to catch the scent they were talking about. A moment later, her eyes flew open wide and she twisted around to face the direction the magic she was sensing, was coming from.

"Sting and Rogue!" Rette said lowly.

Part of her was relieved that they had more comrades to fight on their side. Another part of her was a little concerned that the two could get hurt. She would hate it if they did get hurt. Especially since they were already locked in a fight. But she didn't have time to be concerned about them.

Turning back to the fights before her, Rette continued to provide support. Tempester soon figured out that physical attacks worked better, because then Rette couldn't absorb them before they got to Natsu. Torafusa stuck to nothing but physical attacks. The two demons, though, were having difficulty with Natsu and Gajeel.

"Natsu and Gajeel are having such a hard time. I wonder about Juvia." Lucy remarked.

"She'll be fine. Juvia is a fairy through and through. She won't give up as long as Gray is there for her to come running back to." Rette assured her.

No sooner had Rette said that, Keith managed to tangle Juvia up, restraining her and choking the life out of her slowly.

"Juvia!" Lucy and Rette cried out.

Rette started forward to help Juvia when something popped up out of the ground, grabbing her ankle. Rette went down, feeling hands clamp down on her to hold her down. Looking over her shoulder, Rette got a chill down her spine when she was confronted with skeletons climbing out of the ground, clawing at her and Lucy to keep them in place.

"Lucy! Rette!" Natsu called in concern.

"Focus on your fight! We're fine!" Rette called back.

She swiped out one hand, knocking the head off one skeleton but it only continued to hold her down. She fought against the skeletons, demolishing one after the other, but more climbed out of the ground to grab her. Rette cursed as she got to her feet, skeletons hanging off her.

"They just keep coming." Rette remarked, annoyed.

"This is the city of corpses. To Keith it's like a treasure box." Torafusa remarked.

" _ **Now**_ they tell me! I know I have my share of skeletons in the closet, but this is too literal, even for me." Rette retorted.

She continued to swat off the skeletons, trying to clear her way to Juvia. Keith wasn't concerned with Rette, and turned his attention to Juvia.

"What? Aren't you going to erase the ghost of that boy's father? Cut the bond between father and son." Keith said.

"I can't do it." Juvia said lowly, tears falling down her face.

"That's why humans are fools. We know humans." Keith replied.

"Juvia! You can't let him defeat you!" Rette called.

Keith ignored Rette as he continued to squeeze the life out of Juvia.

"Feelings get in the way of reason. They're ugly lumps of ego."

Rette and her friends stared as Keith's misty body wrapped around Juvia...crushing her body in a spray of what looked like blood. Keith thought he had won. Rette knew better.

They all watched as one part of Keith's body bulged, then another, as if there was something inside of him, moving around. Then water broke free of his body, expanding as it fought to tear him to shreds.

"She got..."

"Into the enemy's body!?" Gajeel exclaimed, finishing the sentence Natsu started.

"You can't sever the bond between two humans! Gray's feelings. His father's feelings...They'll reach each other. Even if they physically vanish, their feelings remain in the others' hearts!" Juvia declared, bursting free of Keith's body and completely destroying him. "I believe in people's power of love!"

With Keith's destruction, the skeletons holding Rette and Lucy back, crumbled away. With tears in her eyes, Juvia let out a cough of blood and crumpled to the ground. Rette took a diving leap forward, sliding across the ground to catch Juvia in her arms.

"Juvia? Juvia!" Rette called, trying to get her friend to open her eyes.

"Interference particles." Tempester remarked.

"Well, it was obvious that she wasn't going to come out unhurt with that in Keith's body." Torafusa agreed.

Lucy joined Rette, checking on Juvia too.

"Juvia, pull yourself together!" Lucy called.

"I want to...see Gray..." Juvia managed to get out.

"You'll get to see him, very soon." Lucy promised, pulling Juvia into her arms to hug her, freeing up Rette's hands.

Rette turned to Natsu and Gajeel who were waiting to hear how Juvia was. Rette shook her head.

"We need to get her to Porlyusica." Rette told them.

Clicking their tongues in annoyance, Natus and Gajeel turned to face the final two demons in their paths.

"We've gotta take care of these guys fast." Natsu remarked, Gajeel agreeing.

Tempester took that moment to declare that he was bored. Rette really wanted to smack the demon. This wasn't some game that he could get bored with anytime he wanted to. It was their lives that these demons were messing with.

"Yeah...it's time we acknowledge them. Not as humans, but as dragon mages. So unless the Etherious's real power is released, we can't destroy them, huh." Torafusa remarked.

Rette watched, part in concern and part in fascination, as the two demons' appearance changed. They became more demon-like.

"This looks really bad." Lucy said.

"Not for Natsu and Gajeel."

Lucy looked at Rette, confused, but Rette was focused on the grins that had appeared on Natsu's and Gajeel's faces. Both powered up by using their dual element mode, Natsu using his Lightning Flame Dragon Mode and Gajeel using his Iron Shadow Dragon Mode. The two looked at each other, Natsu having never seen Gajeel's Iron Shadow Dragon Mode. Reet was a little surprised too, since she hadn't known about it either.

"Since when did you get like that!?" Natsu asked.

"I ate Rogue's shadow powers. And now I've become stronger than you!" Gajeel replied.

"Whatever, man! I have Laxus' lightning, you know! It's way better than yours!"

"Then let's prove it! The first to defeat the enemy is the winner!"

"Bring it on, iron bastard!" Natsu snapped.

"Alright. The loser has to make a praise song for the winner. How's that sound!?"

"Oh come on, not now." Lucy said, heaving a sigh.

"Wait for it." Rette told her.

With yells of excitement, Natsu and Gajeel charged into the fight. They hit the demons at rates faster than the demons had been expecting. Rette shook her head.

"They might argue like five year olds, but they eventually get the job done." Rette remarked. "If they can keep from acting like children."

Lucy and Rette stood back, watching as their friends attacked the demons in rapid succession. They were doing pretty well. That is, until the two decided to land their next punches on each other.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, punk!?" Gajeel snapped.

"Come on, I didn't even hit you that hard!" Natsu retorted.

"I know! That's why it didn't hurt at all!"

"Yeah...I thought a little kid had just punched me!"

Rette shook her head while Lucy heaved a sigh. Lucy dropped her face into her hand, unable to believe her friends and their ill timed squabble.

"Guys...can you really not do this right now?" Lucy asked.

"I did say they get the job done if they can keep from acting like children." Rette added.

Torafusa took advantage of Natsu's and Gajeel's lack of attention, and began to swamp the area in black water. Hoping for a little added protection, because she had no idea what was in the water, Rette cast her Pressure Armor, coating herself in a layer of crystal. Soon they were so deep under water, Rette couldn't tell how far up she would have to swim before she reached the surface.

Trapped under the water, Natsu's flames wouldn't work and they had the added disadvantage of Torafusa being faster and stronger. He hit Natsu and Gajeel before they could react, all the while, Tempester sat at the very bottom, as if the whole thing didn't have anything to do with him. Rette knew she was right about something possibly being in the water, when even Natsu seem to fall victim to it. It left only Rette and Gajeel unfazed.

Gajeel gave Rette a questioning look as she swam over to check on their friends. Rette looked them over and turned to him, shaking her head. She didn't know what it was anymore than him. Natsu, with the lungs of a dragon, should have had more air in him than that.

"It appears they've swallowed some of the Black Water of Darkness."

Rette and Gajeel turned to look at Torafusa. For some reason, they could hear his voice clearly in the water. It was almost as if they were on dry land.

"This water is poison. It brings death within five minutes. Not that a human would be able to hold their breath for five minutes under water anyways." Torafusa told them.

Gajeel, as a way to show that he wasn't going to be giving in, formed iron stitches over his mouth to hold his lips closed. He turned a questioning look on Rette, who held out her arm and gave it a flick, letting what light filtered through the water, play over the crystal coating her skin. She then gave him a thumbs up, showing that she was good to go. As the adopted child of two dragons, Rette's lungs worked a little differently than most humans. In fact, her longest record for holding her breath, had clocked in at seven minutes and twenty-three seconds.

That being said, if there really was poison in the water, more than likely, is could seap in through the skin. They had to get out of the water, and soon, but they wouldn't be able to do that with Torafusa in their way. Rette didn't even want to think about Tempester as well. Rette met Gajeel's eyes, a silent conversation passing between them. With a nod, Rette turned and swam over to the others, collecting them while Gajeel went into battle with Torafusa.

In the water, the demon was faster. And stronger. One punch was enough to send Gajeel rocketing into the floor far below. Gajeel, in an attempt to move faster than Torafusa and, therefore, land an attack, used his shadow to travel, like Rogue did. Torafusa dodged him, but didn't see the attack from behind. Not that it did any good. Torafusa whipped around, giving Gajeel another hard hit. That was followed by another hit, this one landed on Gajeel's jaw with enough strength to break the iron stitches on his lips.

One look at his face was enough for Rette to know that Gajeel was out of breath.

This was bad. Rette looked around, trying to figure out some way to get Gajeel more air. She highly doubted she could defeat the two demons on her own. Then, to her surprise, Levy appeared out of nowhere. She dived towards Gajeel, kissing him in order to pass air to him. It was at a price though. Torafusa, angry with her interference, went after Levy.

Gajeel wasn't going to allow that. He jumped back into the fight, wrapping a protective arm around Levy while landing a heavy hit to the back of Torafusa's neck. Rette winced, knowing that Gajeel's heavy, iron coated hit, had to hurt. A moment later, though, Rette was shaking her head as Gajeel shook Levy in an attempt to wake her back up. Once she was conscious once more, Gajeel tried to get her to give him more air. Of course, the girl thought he meant another kiss. It took a moment for her figure out that he meant with magic.

Quickly, she made an air bubble for them. Gajeel popped in long enough to take a large gulp of air and tell her to provide air for the others, before he was back off to his fight. Levy went to Rette first, but Rette waved her on to the others. Levy asked if she was sure and Rette nodded. She could hold her breath long enough for Levy to see to the others. Levy quickly provided air to the others and came back to Rette. When Rette stuck her head inside, she gasped in a breath.

"You alright, Rette?" Levy asked.

"Yeah. Watch them. I'm going to act as support for Gajeel." Rette told her.

Levy nodded and Rette swam around the fight, the whole time keeping her eyes on Tempester below. Gajeel charged into the battle with renewed vigor, but when Torafusa suddenly changed the hardness of his skin, Gajeel's iron skin cracked. With the open wounds, the poison began to effect Gajeel.

"Because you coated your skin in iron, you didn't absorb the water's toxins as fast, but it seems it's getting to you now. It's only a matter of time before it effects your comrade with the crystal over her skin." Torafusa said.

He glanced Rette's direction, but Rette didn't seem upset to hear him say that. Then again, she knew that the longer she was under the water, the greater the pressure on her body and the thicker the crystal would become. It would take quite a while for the poison to make it into her system.

Torafusa, though, seemed to think he had this in the bag. He didn't know Gajeel like Rette did. Despite how he talked and acted, Gajeel really only wanted to protect those around him. He just wanted to protect his friends and guild. In that, Rette understood him. Here was someone threatening his home and those around him. Gajeel would be hell bent if he let that person succeed.

And he proved it by demolishing Torafusa.

With Torafusa's defeat, the water vanished from the area, and Rette was able to dispell the Pressure Armor. But Gajeel was done for and the others were unconscious. When Tempster appeared over Gajeel to finish him off, Rette came in from the side, ramming into Tempester and knocking him sideways away from Gajeel. Rette braced herself between Gajeel and Tempester. She didn't have the ideal amount of magical energy left, but she would deal with the threat before her.

A sudden, familiar, magical energy appearing over head, had Rette grinning slightly in the face of the demon before her. It confused the demon for a moment before the icy arrow came flying for him. Tempster jumped back away as the arrow exploded, ice sprouting from the ground. Gray landed in front of Rette.

"Gray!" Gajeel called in surprise.

"It seems it's this one that beat Laxus." Gray said. "Wait...correction. It's the magic beads in him."

Rette's eyes snapped to Tempester, sharp as blades. So this was the demon that had hurt her friends and had caused so much damage to a quiet little town.

"So it was him?" Rette asked.

Already, she could feel her anger rising once again, the dark aura taking over her magic once more. The little voice came back, chanting in her inner ear to kill. And Rette fully intended to indulge that little voice. How dare he hurt her friends, the man she was starting to really like, that she was starting to, dare she say it, love. Her would regret approaching her friends, but he would definitely regret laying a finger on Laxus.

"Yeah. You could make medicine out of this one's blood. Please send it over to old lady Porlyusica as soon as we're done." Gray replied.

"Start talking when you've beat him, won't ya." Gajeel snapped.

"I'll be quick." Gray promised.

As Tempster formed tornadoes, Gray froze them. Right before Gray could attack Tempester, a hand landed on his shoulder, stopping him. Turning, Gray's eyes landed on Rette. He could feel the darkness rolling off her in waves, could see the sharp, anger filled look in her eyes. She was out for blood and she was going to get it.

"Let me, Gray. I promised that if I was confronted with the one that hurt Laxus and his team, than I would kill him myself and leave nothing behind but the blood needed for the cure." Rette told him.

Gray wanted to protest, but something about the darkness around her, had him stepping off to the side, out of her way. Something unnatural was over taking Rette and he didn't want to be in her path of devastation.

"You can take on others, but this one is mine." Rette said, calmly walking towards Tempester.

When she was within arms reach, Tempester lashed out at her, his fist moving faster than it should have been possible for her to block, but block she did. Rette raised an arm, catching his hit on it. Tempester stared at her in shock when she didn't budge an inch. The darkness in her had grown to the point that her guild mates could see it take the form of a cloud around her. Soon, Rette and Tempster were lost inside the cloud, completely hidden from view.

A few seconds ticked back, then a minute, with no noise. Then suddenly there was an inhuman shriek that died off into a bloody gurgle. The dark cloud seemed to explode then, and when it cleared, it left only Rette, standing over a bloody pile that could only be the remains of Tempester. Rette's left hand was coated in blood, but she seemed to be perfectly fine, without a single new scratch on her.

"R-Rette...what the hell did you do?" Gray asked.

"It doesn't matter." Rette told him.

She wasn't about to explain what had just happened. She had just let out something she had kept under lock and key for a long time. She wasn't about to explain what it was or anything. Not now, not ever. The job was done, she had avenged her friends, and she would leave it at that. Taking one look into her eyes as she turned to look at them, Gray and Gajeel knew it.

"I finished it, as I promised, and that's all that matters." Rette told them.

With that, she walked over to where her friends were laid out, and dropped to sit next to them. Finding a random piece of cloth, probably from a curtain, Rette cleaned the blood off her hand. While she was at it, Gray took off, leaving Gajeel and Rette to take care of their friends. It took a little while before the others woke up.

"Is Gray here?" Juvia asked, first thing.

"He just headed somewhere, I think." Gajeel told her.

"I'm just glad everyone's okay." Levy said.

"Take this to old woman Porlyusica's place, Levy." Gajeel said, holding up a bag that contained the sample from Tempester.

"Right. Now we'll be able to heal Laxus and the others." Levy said, taking the sample from him.

Lucy turned to look at Natsu, who had been quiet since he had awoken.

"What's wrong, Natsu?" Lucy asked.

"He's probably pouting after hearing how Starrilia finished the fight." Gajeel retorted.

"Gajeel...Rette...can't you hear it?" Natsu asked.

"Hear what?" Rette asked.

"This voice..."

Rette tilted her head, listening closely to the area around them. It was then that the noise reached her ears and her blood ran cold.

"That voice...there's no mistaking it!" Natsu said.

"Acnologia."

Just hearing one of her friends say the name, sent chills down her back, but she knew they had to be right. The voice that reached her ears, was definitely a dragon's voice. One that made every hair on her body stand on end. The dragon came in with a bang, literally, blowing up things in his path. Not moments after his appearance on the scene, Rette felt her heart give a sudden painful thump. Gripping her chest, Rette bent forward, one hand pressed to the ground. More painful thuds followed. She felt like something was trying to claw it's way free of her chest.

And she wasn't the only one. Natsu and Gajeel were acting the same way. The others thought it was the Dragon Slayers reacting to Acnologia, but Rette had a feeling that there was more to it than that. She hadn't reacted this way when the dragons appeared after the Grand Magic Games and Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy hadn't mentioned something like this happening when Acnologia had appeared at Tenrou Island.

The ground shook as Acnologia instantly went on the attack. Rette though, was too preoccupied with the burning in her chest. Even during one of her fits, she had never felt something like this. Juvia pat her on the back, trying to sooth her, but it really wasn't helping. Then, suddenly, Natsu perked up and began looking around.

"Igneel!? Why can I hear Igneel's voice!?" Natsu asked.

"I don't...hear anything." Rette managed to get out past the weird pounding of her heart.

As if to answer Natsu, his stomach started glowing before, to Rette's astonishment, a dragon burst forth from the very core of Natsu's being. Rette was so shocked, her jaw even dropped. The dragon was mighty, red, and scarred. Was this...was this Igneel?

"I can't tell you everything now. I'll get rid of Acnologia first." Igneel told Natsu, rocketing towards the other dragon. "Live, Natsu."

To Rette's great relief, the throbbing in her chest stopped and she half sagged forward, bracing her hands on the ground in front of her.

"Igneel! Could it be that you two, too?" Levy asked, looking from Gajeel to Rette.

"I don't think so. The throbbing stopped." Rette told her.

How weird would it have been if she found out that Tundron and Chrysalis had been inside her this whole time? It would mean that she had been wrong about them all along and it was something that Rette really couldn't process in the middle of the fight for their lives they were currently in.

"What the hell's happening...Oi! Salamander! Was that Igneel!?" Gajeel asked as Rette, stumbling a bit, got to her feet, one hand still pressed to her chest. "What the hell was he doing in you!?"

"The hell I'd know. And here I was looking for him...the whole time... _ **Don't screw with me!**_ "

With that yell, Natsu launched himself into the air, going after Igneel to demand answers of him. Rette heaved a sigh, slapping a hand to her face.

"I'll go get him." Rette said, her Sun Wings sprouting before she, too, launched herself into the air.

She reached Natsu as he climbed up Igneel's back.

"Fool! I told you we'd talk later." Igneel told his adopted son.

"No, now!" Natsu demanded, like a child. "Why'd you go missing suddenly!? And you were in me the whole time!? Where're Gajeel, Wendy, and Rette's dragons!? What happened on the seventh of July, year 777!?"

"Shut up!" Igneel snapped.

In one hand, Igneel grabbed Natsu off his shoulder, and in the other, he ushered Rette back behind him. Keeping them out of harms way, he let out a fiery roar, right in Acnologia's face. The resulting explosion would have knocked Rette from the sky, if Igneel hadn't grabbed her. When the smoked cleared, Rette and Natsu stared in amazement.

"W...woah..." Natsu voiced.

"No...it didn't even land a scratch on him." Igneel told him.

Sure enough, Aconologia came out of the attack without a single scratch on him. Rette made an annoyed noise.

"What, is he made of diamond or something?" she asked, snippily.

Igneel, though, chuckled, a grin baring his jaggedly sharp teeth. Rette looked up at him, swearing that she had seen the very same look on Natsu's face before.

"Now I'm burning up." Igneel remarked.

"Well, that answers where Natsu got that from." Rette remarked.

Igneel ignored the comment, raising his claws to peer at the two of them.

"Natsu, you two get outta the way." Igneel ordered.

"Whaddaya mean by I'm in the way! It's been a long time since we've seen each other and this is how you greet me!?" Natsu asked, waving his fists like a child in the middle of a fit.

"Like I said, boy, we'll talk later. You go do what you gotta do. The both of you." Igneel said.

"Huh?" Natsu asked.

"Heard you joined a guild or something? Now let me give you a job. Look." Igneel said, turning the two to direct their gazes downward.

Standing below them, was the same man that Rette had seen fighting the Spirit King. He was still gripping the same book in his arms as he watched the dragons above.

"That's the person I saw fighting with the Spirit King after Lucy summoned him." Rette remarked.

"See that book in the hands of that man? That's the END book." Igneel told them.

"END..." Natsu repeated.

"Get that book for me, boy." Igneel told Natsu.

"Why would I do that?" Natsu asked.

"Because it's something only you can do. With the right back up, of course." Igneel said, his eyes going to Rette. "Besides, he's the man that caused all this mess. Isn't that reason enough to go for him?"

"Yes." Rette answered immediately, already humming with the need to destroy the man who had hurt her family.

Igneel laughed, liking the look in her eyes as she glared down at the man below. She was already ready to go. She was itching for a fight and all Igneel had to do was release her.

"Listen well, never open that book. Just take it from him. It shouldn't be in his hands." Igneel told them.

"What's the reward?" Natsu asked.

"What!?"

"Well, we are in a guild, y'know."

Igneel stopped for a moment to think it over. Though, Rette knew it wouldn't take much to satisfy Natsu. He was actually a pretty easy person to please some times.

"Uhh...every thing you wanted to know." Igneel said at last.

"Alright, I'll do it! Rette, you in?" Natsu asked, looking at Rette.

"He had me at bring him down for our guild." Rette replied.

Igneel smiled as he looked at the two. Pulling back his arm, he sent Natsu rocketing towards the ground and towards Mard Geer.

"Make me proud, Natsu!" he called after his adopted son.

"Uhh...you can just let me go. I'll fly." Rette told Igneel, making the dragon chuckle.

He released her, her Sun Wings taking over to carrying her towards the ground.

"Rette."

Rette froze when Igneel called her name. She turned to look at him, blinking in surprise. How had he known her name? She hadn't told him and Natsu hadn't said it. Seeing him grin at her confusion, she got her answer. He had known her dragons.

"Tundron always did brag about his adorable daughter. They would be proud of you. You truly could be a queen of us all." Igneel said.

Rette's brows furrowed when he said that. A queen to them all? What exactly did he mean by that? But Igneel didn't seem like he was in the mood to explain it to her.

"Watch my boy's back. He's reckless." Igneel told her.

"Like father, like son, huh?" Rette asked.

Igneel roared in laughter before agreeing that she just might be right. Rette stared at him for a moment before turning to follow Natsu.

"Keep your promise to him and don't disappear. I don't think he could take it a second time and I won't be so friendly if you hurt my friend." Rette told Igneel. "And one more thing."

Igneel looked at Rette as she threw a venomous look towards Acnologia. She finally turned those two toned eyes back towards him.

"He made my family vanish for seven years...leaving him with a scar for me." Rette told Igneel before taking a dive towards the ground.

Igneel laughed as he watched her go, fondly watching Rette as she chased after her guild mate and friend. He liked the protectiveness in her eyes, liked the fierce determination to help her friends.

 _So much like Chrysalis. She really is their daughter, through and through,_ Igneel thought.

He just hoped Rette could find it in her heart to forgive his old friends when she finally found out the truth.

END

Kyandi: Alright, another chapter down.

Rette: The next one starts the biggest reveals.

Kyandi: Yep. In the next chapter, all of you start getting all the answers to Rette's past.

Rette: I'm not looking forward to it.

Kyandi: I know, but it has to be done to progress the story.

Rette: If you say so.

Kyandi: I do. So everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: We will return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	27. Nightmares of the Past

Kyandi: Hey, Kyandiacs.

Rette: We bring you a new chapter.

Kyandi: And in this chapter...you all finally get to find out most of Rette's secrets.

Rette: All but one and that one will be revealed in the next few chapters.

Kyandi: Yep. And I'm pretty sure no one had figured out the cause behind your fits. Which they'll find out in this chapter.

Rette: Well...part of the reason.

Kyandi: Right. So we're just going to get on with it.

Rette: Sounds good.

Kyandi: Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 27 Nightmares of the Past

Rette rocketed in after Natsu. Mard Geer, the so called King of Hades, had only a moment to look up when a shadow fell over him before Rette's feet slammed into him, driving him into the ground. Flipping clear of the demon, Rette jumped out of the way of Natsu's next attack.

"We're taking that book! And we're putting an end to Face!" Natsu declared. "Which means I'll also be kicking your ass!"

Rette shot up into the sky, avoiding the thorns that suddenly grew at Mard Geer's command. She zigged and zagged, dodging the plants, just as Natsu was doing below. Which seemed to surprise Mard Geer and left him open to a fiery punch from Natsu. Mard Geer, even after being punched, continued to stare at Natsu.

"Light of Creation...Incineration!"

Mard Geer's eyes flew up to the sky as Rette's voice rang clear. The shaft of light that fell on him, would have burned him to a crisp if he hadn't moved so quickly. Rette landed beside Natsu, both facing Mard Geer with fierce determination. Mard Geer faced them, a grin on his face.

"Ready to do this, Rette?" Natsu asked.

"You bet."

"Then let's do this!"

Natsu lead the charge before Rette could warn him to stop and think first. Rette, though, had confidence in Natsu. She hung back as Natsu charged into Mard Geer's attack, head on. Dropping to the ground, Natsu avoided the attack, coming at Mard Geer from low to the ground with his Fire Dragon's Claw. Mard Geer caught his foot, Natsu's flames not bothering him.

"You're no dragon to begin with." Mard Geer said.

Suddenly, his eyes turned upward as a shadow fell on his face. He put up an arm in time to catch the kick Rette had aimed for his head. Mard Geer shot her a glare.

"And you are annoying." he told her.

"Aw, thanks." Rette retorted sarcastically.

Sensing that things were about to get hairy, Rette cast her Sun Wings and flew away from him just as he used his own curse to send Natsu crashing through the ground.

"Natsu!" Rette called in concern.

Her yell drew Igneel's attention, taking the dragon's eyes off Acnologia and giving the other dragon the chance to attack. Rette's head whipped around to look up at Igneel as he swooped to dodge the attack.

"Focus, Igneel! I'll take care of Natsu!" she called.

Igneel glanced back at Rette as she spiraled down towards the ground. Scanning the caved in floor, Rette rocketed down, shooting past Mard Geer, towards Natsu. Right before she could reach him, thorns came snaking towards them. Rette pulled back with a hiss, Natsu cursing as he twisted to avoid the most of the damage.

"Rette, watch out!" Natsu suddenly called.

Rette twisted, her eyes widening before she threw her arms up to defend her face against the thorns that suddenly wrapped around her. They squeezed tight, dragging a gasp from Rette as it forced the air from her lungs.

"Rette!"

Natsu twisted, trying to get free so he could help his friend. In that moment, Rette caught a whiff of a familiar scent just seconds before the thorns around her were broken and arms wrapped around her. Rette felt a jolt as whoever caught her, landed on the ground.

"You can move your arms now."

Knowing that voice, Rette moved her arms away from her face and looked up into the familiar, smiling face of Sting.

"Sting!"

Sting grinned at her, sitting her on her feet as Natsu and Rogue landed along side them, Rogue having freed Natsu.

"It's been a while, Natsu, Rette." Sting said in greeting. "Having a little difficulty there, big bad Rette?"

"Alright, wise guy. Bare in mind, I'm older than you and can still kick your butt." Rette told Sting, looking up at him.

Sting's grin grew until it looked like that of a child who had just been unleashed on a candy shop and told they could have whatever they want. Rogue shook his head, knowing that Sting wouldn't be grinning that big if it wasn't for the fact that he found it so funny. Since they had let bygones be bygones, the two had picked at each other kind of like a little brother and big sister.

"Hey, why are you guys here again?" Natsu asked.

"Uh, well our lady..."

"Ah, whatever, this ain't the time for things like that." Natsu said, cutting off Sting.

Rette heaved a sigh before reaching out and popping Natsu over the head. Natsu grabbed his head, demanding to know why she had done that.

"Try to be less rude. They just helped us." Rette told him.

Natsu mumbled under his breath as he rubbed his head. Rette looked at him, asking him if she needed to hit him again, to which he shook his head violently.

"Oh, yeah, where's Lector and Frosch?" Natsu asked, noticing that the two exceeds weren't with their partners.

"They're with Erza." Rogue replied.

"That means they'll be with Happy, Lily, and Thyme too." Rette remarked.

"Lector will like that." Sting remarked with a grin.

"He does realize that Thyme's in love with Lily, right?" Rette asked.

Sting, Rogue, Natsu all three stared at her with identical, blank looks. Rette heaved a sigh, shaking her head at the three of them.

"Is it just Dragon Slayers, or all males so blind when it comes to things like that?" she asked.

"Hey!"

This yell came from all three of the Dragon Slayers before her. Rette shrugged her shoulders. It was an honest question that she had been asking since she had first met Natsu seven years previously. Waving it away, Rette focused her eyes on a perch above their heads.

"We have a guest." she remarked.

All three of the males looked up to where Mard Geer was crouched, watching them. They could argue about whatever later on. For now, they had to finish the fight in front of them. And it was going to be one hell of a fight. Rette could already tell. Seeing what Rette could see, Sting and Rogue turned to look at Natsu.

"Let's fight together, Natsu!" Sting said.

"We could beat him if it's four to one." Rogue agreed.

"That's a great idea...but no." Natsu replied.

The resulting looks on Sting's and Rogue's faces was almost enough to make Rette break out in laughter. Almost, but now quite.

" _ **WHAT!?**_ " they yelled.

"This is a job Igneel asked us to do. And we'll do it alone, just the two of us." Natsu said, jabbing a thumb towards Rette.

"This isn't the time for games." Rogue growled, but Sting stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Alright, then let's do it this way," Sting started, a grin curling his lips. "Let's have a match to see who beats him first, you and Rette or us double dragons."

"Huh!? Grrr...you're not getting to him first! No way! Come on, Rette!" Natsu declared, turning and rocketing away.

"That's the only way he'd let us join in the fight." Sting remarked when Rette and Rogue turned questioning looks on him.

"Huh...smart man. I knew you Sabertooth mages weren't stupid." Rette told Sting, before turning to follow after Natsu.

Sting and Rogue followed her, both questioning how to take that statement. Natsu, as always, charged in for the attack, first. Mard Geer smacked him down with a karate chop to the back of the head. Sting followed up Natsu's attack with a punch that Mard Geer dodged before kicking him across the chest. Rogue came up next with a slash of his shadows. Mard Geer jumped back to avoid it and ended up with Natsu slamming his feet up into the underside of his chin. The attack snapped his chin back and gave him a view of Rette just before she slammed the heel of her foot into the side of his head, whipping his head back to the right.

Rogue followed up the attack, hitting Mard Geer across the right cheek and whipping his head back to the left. Rette, who was still standing to the demon's left, dropped to the ground, letting Sting land a kick to his face that sent the demon rocketing backwards to crash into a wall. Rette stood up straight lifting her bare foot to rub at the heel. She would give the demon one thing...he had a hard head.

"Two dragons in the skies and three children of dragons in front of me." Mard Geer remarked.

"Four. Rette is just as much a Dragon Slayer, as us." Sting corrected, laying a hand on Rette's shoulder.

For once, Rette didn't mind it. She was too tired after all the fighting, to even bother being upset about the Dragon Slayer thing. Though, admittedly, even if she wasn't tired, she still wouldn't have been as upset by it as she had been before her friends went to Tenrou Island.

"I see...four children of dragons. It's highly possible that there might be more. How dare you do as you please in my castle. Looks like you've managed to dig up an emotion I've kept away for so long. Anger." Mard Geer snapped.

"Great, join the club. I've been pissed off all day." Rette retorted.

"This just means he's one step closer to becoming human." Natsu told her.

"Don't want him becoming too human. I might feel sorry later on for hurting him." Rette remarked.

"Would you really?" Rogue asked.

"...No, no I wouldn't."

"That's sounds more like you."

Rette turned to look at her three friends as all three of them said that at once. Her expression was that of one who was not amused. Sometimes, she really felt like reminding them who the adult was and who the teenagers were in this relationship and she would use her fists to do it.

"The three of you are not funny."she told them.

Mard Geer, though, was royally angered, highly annoyed, with the four before him. They were pushing his every last nerve.

"Feelings will only cloud your thoughts. That's why I planned to keep mine controlled for as long as I could." Mard Geer remarked, turning to set down the book in his hands. "Master END, please excuse me for a moment. I particularly dislike this emotion you call "anger". It makes me lose sight of myself, you know."

"Like I said...join the club." Rette chimed in, though the demon just ignored her.

"Just thinking of what happens to me when I'm not 'myself' disgusts me to no end." Mard Geer said, dropping to sit in a throne-like chair that had mostly escaped damage. "Mard Geer is Mard Geer. The one that is called the Underworld King, and is put in charge of Tartaros by his master. I must now erase this emotion once again. Along with your pitiful existences."

"Oh God...he speaks in third person. As if we don't get enough of that from Juvia. And am I the only one, or does his smirk really tick any of you off as well?" Rette asked, looking at her friends.

"No, I'm pretty sure we all share your sentiments." Rogue replied.

"Good...then I call dibs on bashing his face in."

Mard Geer, on the other hand, was not amused by Rette's comments. There was a sudden spike in his power that instantly had the hairs on the back of Rette's neck, standing on end. It had her friends tensing up as well.

"Such an ominous power." Rogue remarked.

Rette tensed when Mard Geer raised a single hand.

"Incoming!" Sting called in warning.

With a flick of his hand, thorns shot up out of the ground, spiraling around them and knocking them all around. All but Rette. Rette went bouncing from one thorny vine to the next, completely unaffected by them. She came rocketing towards Mard Geer at fast speeds, already pulling one fist back to punch him in the face. Mard Geer, a smirk on his lips, raised a hand, a shield forming before him, but, as his comrades had been finding out all day...the shield didn't work.

The smirk vanished as Mard Geer was forced to stop her fist himself. He caught the fist, latching onto it so she couldn't easily pull it back. This left the two of them glaring at each other with only an arm's length between them.

"How?" Mard Geer demanded.

"As your comrades have been finding out since I landed on this pathetic chuck of rock you call an HQ...your curses don't work on me."

Mard Geer's eyes widened as he looked at Rette. A human who their curses didn't work on. It both intrigued and annoyed him. She was a threat he couldn't afford. Rette could see that decision in his eyes before he raised his hand. She tried to pull her fist free, but he wouldn't let go.

"Those eyes." Mard Geer remarked, Rette freezing up. "So much like-"

Rette raised her left hand, unleashing her Incineration spell. The resulting explosion caused him to release her, Rette rocketing backwards away from him.

"Rette!?" Sting called in concern.

"I'm fine." Rette replied, though her heart was hammering away inside her chest.

Natsu took the next attack, but this time, Mard Geer's shield worked, blowing Natsu backwards. Sting called out to him in concern, but he should have been more concerned about himself. Rette, sensing the attack before it came, whipped around on the spot.

"Sting! Rogue! Watch out!"

Rette grit her teeth when the two took damage from the attack. Mard Geer was no push over, that much was for sure. Rette's thoughts were pulled from that thought when she was nearly knocked over by Natsu flying past her to attack Mard Geer again. He hit the demon with his Fire Dragon's Sword Horn and when Mard Geer stopped that, he switched to his Roar. The Roar demolished the ground on which the throne sat, sending Mard Geer into the air.

"Sting! Rogue! Rette!" Natsu yelled.

"Natsu's finally asking for help?" Sting asked.

"He finally recognizes him as a tough opponent, huh..." Rogue added.

"It's more along the lines of Natsu trusting you to fight by his side." Rette told the two, taking off ahead of them. "I'll go first."

Rette didn't wait for a reply. She simply launched herself into the air, her Sun Wings catching her and carrying her forth. While Sting and Rogue prepared their combined attack, Rette, deciding to use all she had, hit him with a spell she normally didn't use.

"Ice Dragon Slayer Secret Arts...Frosting Blizzard: Hydrothermic Typhoon!"

The typhoon of razor sharp ice shards hit hard, but Mard Geer blocked the attack expertly. Rette shot up out of the way, letting Sting and Rogue follow up her attack with their Holy Shadow Dragon's Flash Fang. To their shock, Mard Geer actually caught the attack, condensing the power into a small sphere in his hands before absorbing it.

"Rette!"

Rette's eyes turned to Natsu. One look at his face and she knew what he wanted. Together, the two attacked, Natsu using his Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer while Rette used her Crystal Ice Dragon's Frozen Petal Dance. They landed the attack, Rette was sure, but Mard Geer only grinned, as if they had done nothing more than swat him with a rolled up newspaper. Rette dropped instantly, folding her Sun Wings into her back, to avoid the next attack from Mard Geer, but Natsu, however, took the attack head on. Mard Geer landed back in his throne, legs crossed, as if nothing had happened.

Rette landed next to Natsu, dropping to one knee to check on him. Finding him alright, if not a little more beat up than before, Rette turned to look at Mard Geer.

"If that's your best, you might as well just give up. I haven't even gotten serious with you yet." Mard Geer said, cocky smirk still on his face.

"Is anyone else getting really sick of his face?" Rette asked.

She really wanted nothing else than to wipe that smirk off Mard Geer's face. Seeing that desire in her eyes, his smirk only grew, making one of her eyebrow twitch slightly. Sting laid a hand on her shoulder, hoping she wouldn't charge in recklessly. Rette hadn't really been that reckless before her friends had gone to Tenrou Island and she had only matured since. Though she was still tempted to slug Mard Geer across the face recklessly.

"What are you planning to do by erasing magic from the entire continent?" Sting asked.

"Oh...did I not tell you? By taking magic away, the seal on END neutralizes too." Mard Geer replied easily.

"That book?" Natsu asked.

"It only looks like that now but END is actually the strongest among the Books of Zeref demons, the Master of Tartaros if you may. And by reviving END, we may return to Zeref as well." Mard Geer replied.

"We won't let you. If you're so bent on going back, just go on your own." Rogue retorted.

"Have you ever wondered why Zeref created us?"

All four of them stopped. Of course, they had wondered. Every person in the world wondered why Zeref had created demons. Many believed it was only to cause chaos. Rette wasn't so sure. A dark mage could cause chaos without having to go through the trouble of creating demons.

"Actually, none of my underlings have realized. We all have a strong obsession with "we must return to Zeref". It's an order written in our genes. "Return to Zeref", "Meet Zeref again", "For Zeref". All these feelings...connect to the same truth." Mard Geer said.

"Which is?" Rette asked.

"You don't know?" Mard Geer asked, tilting his head to the side.

"No. Why would I? Zeref lived four hundred years before I was born." Rette retorted.

Mard Geer let out a little chuckle that really grated Rette's nerves. Why did he have to laugh at her? It was a simple enough question. The jerk.

"Zeref cursed himself for becoming immortal...and wanted to die. He eventually created something that could kill him. Something that was born to kill him. In other words...the demons of Zeref's Book. END was his final masterpiece. However...for some reason, it was sealed back inside his book. With a spell that couldn't be broken even on this Earth Land filled with magic. But when Face wipes away all magic from the continent, that seal will be broken too and END will be reborn." Mard Geer said, getting to his feet. "And it will defeat Zeref. That's our and Zeref's wish."

"A fight to defeat Zeref?" Natsu asked.

"Why are you involving people in your business?" Sting asked.

"When you're going somewhere, do you purposely avoid stepping on weeds in your path?" Mard Geer asked.

"You bastard..." Sting growled.

A vine suddenly whipped out to knock Sting and Rogue back. Natsu and Rette turned, calling out to them only for the same vine to smack Natsu aside before wrapping around Rette to restrain her arms to her sides. Rette, struggling to free her arms, looked up and froze. Rising from the ground behind Mard Geer, was a large plant that looked like it could be related to a Venus Flytrap.

And it was big enough to eat her.

"What is that!?" Rette gasped.

"The Prison Flower that blooms in Hades." Mard Geer replied before the plant moved in on Rette.

Rette had only a moment to think that she was screwed before a sudden chill blew over her and the plant, along with its vine wrapped around her, froze on the spot. The plant broke apart, the vines around Rette, shattering to release her. Rette sank to her knees, Natsu quickly joining her and falling to his knees beside her to check on her. Something was suddenly flopped down on Natsu's shoulders. When Natsu grabbed it to look at it, he found his scarf.

"This is...my scarf." Natsu remarked in surprise.

"I picked it up." Natsu and Rette turned as Gray stepped up to their sides, looking a beaten up, bloody mess, but alive and kicking. "If it's important to you don't lost it again."

"Gray." Rette greeted, relieved he seemed fine for the most part. Then she realized something. "...You're magic energy has changed."

Gray glanced back at her before facing Mard Geer again. To their surprise, without having to touch the demon, Mard Geer began to turn to ice.

"When did you...?" Natsu questioned.

"Who are you?" Mard Geer demanded.

"I came here to defeat you. I'm a Devil Slayer." Gray replied, markings appearing on his right arm.

"A Devil Slayer, you say!?" Mard Geer repeated.

Of course there would be such a thing. After all, there were Dragon Slayers for dragons and God Slayers for gods. Why not have a Devil Slayer for demons? It was definitely something they could use at the moment, but the new development had Rette staring at Gray with almost fear in her eyes. Gray saw the look, but while he wanted to know the reason behind it, he could do so when they were no longer in danger. So, leaving the question for later, Gray attacked Mard Geer. Mard Geer broke free of the ice, but it looked like he was actually concerned.

"This is Silver's...I always knew he'd betray me one day. I didn't think it'd be this way though. Fate is such a curious thing." Mard Geer remarked, launching a counter attack.

The thorns he unleashed, were instantly froze, Gray taking charge of the flow of the fight far easier than Rette, Natsu, Sting, and Rogue altogether.

"There's nothing funny about all of this. This is for my dad!" Gray retorted. "I will destroy you!"

There for a moment, it looked like Gray might actually finish this fight quickly and swiftly when suddenly a vine snaked it's way around Rette, yanking her forward until she was between Mard Geer and Gray, like a shield. Gray faltered for a moment, but, knowing that as the Ice Dragon Slayer, Rette would be fine, he drew a fist back to attack anyway.

"I'd be careful if I were you. You wouldn't want to hurt her." Mard Geer said, smirk on his face.

"Rette is the Ice Dragon Slayer. My ice has never and will never, hurt her." Gray replied.

"Yes, but...that's not all she is."

Rette grit her teeth, glaring over her shoulder at Mard Geer, who only found the look to be entertaining. Especially when he saw the look in her eyes that was silently telling him to shut the hell up already.

"I know why your eyes and the energy that flows from you, seem so familiar." Mard Geer told her.

"Familiar?" Natsu asked.

"You use Light of Creation magic." Mard Geer stated, ignoring Natsu.

"So what if she does?" Sting snapped.

"The last known human to use that magic, was a little girl by the name Amoreta Banesbloud."

Banesbloud?

Did he mean of the same Banesbloud clan that started the Compound where Rette was born? That meant whoever the girl was, she had been related to the very dark mage that had started the clan and it's occult practices while following under Zeref four hundred years ago.

"That has nothing to do with Rette! Let her go!" Natsu snapped.

"Oh, does it not?" Mard Geer asked.

Something shining out of the side of his eyes, had Mard Geer turning to Rette. Rette had wiggled her left hand free and had one finger pointed towards him, a magic array shining at her finger tip. His eyes widened before she unleashed the attack. The vines loosened and Gray instantly pulled her free, yanking her back until she stood between Natsu and Sting, with Rogue and Gray acting like guards in front of her. Mard Geer, though, was chuckling lowly.

Raising his head, he revealed a gash across his left cheek and a wide eyed smirk on his face. Reaching up to touch the gash, he half turned.

"Well, it seems you were right about her. She is an interesting one, indeed." he called out, as if talking to someone behind him.

Rette raised an eyebrow, sharing a look with her friends. Who was Mard Geer talking to, who had been talking about Rette? Seeing the confused looks on their faces, Mard Geer grinned.

"Why don't you come greet her...Lachlan?"

Rette instantly felt sick. As a shadow behind Mard Geer moved, a hooded man stepped forward. Rette felt her whole body begin to tremble as a feeling of impending doom fell over her. A magic energy so familiar to her that it made her heart shudder, hit her full force. Now she understood the feeling of doom she had felt when she had first entered the cube. If it really was who she thought it was under that hood, then she knew doom was upon her for sure.

That her nightmares had finally caught up with her.

A deep rumble of a laugh with a hint of insanity in it, sounded from the hood's depths as the man came to a stop beside Mard Geer. Mard Geer turned his eyes back towards Rette and her friends.

"Ah! She's already shaking from fear." Mard Geer remarked.

"As she should." the hooded man, Lachlan, said before tossing back the hood.

The man under the hood looked as if he couldn't be more than his late twenties or early thirties. His hair was as black as tar, left spiky about his head, and he had a dusting of hair across his chin. What made Rette's friends freeze up was two things. The first being the magenta color of his eyes, so much like Rette's, but without the lavender edge to them. The second was...the four jagged scars that raced over one of his eyes, starting at his eyebrow and ending just short of his jaw.

This was the man from Future Rogue's warning.

Rette, her fear reaching an all time high, sank to the ground as her knees gave out. Her friends turned to her as Rette wrapped her arms around herself, her eyes wide open.

"Rette!?"

Natsu dropped to one knee in front of her, trying to get her to look at him. But she refused. They knew for sure, at that moment, that Rette knew the man probably more than she wanted to and he definitely wasn't nobody important to her.

"Rette, he's the guy from the warning." Natsu told her.

"I know..." Rette gasped.

"You know who he is?" Rogue asked.

"She ought to."

All four of her friends turned to look at Lachlan, who was grinning, his eyes set on Rette. Rette couldn't even look up to meet his eyes for a second.

"I knew you were only five when you ran away from me, but you shouldn't be able to forget your own father, isn't that right...Amoreta."

At Lachlan's words, horrid realization sank in for her friends.

Not only was this Rette's father, he was Lachlan Banesbloud, the founder of the Banesbloud clan. That meant that Rette...was really Amoreta Banesbloud.

"Oh? It seems Amoreta has lost her manners. I am Lachlan Banesbloud and, yes, I am Amoreta's father."

All four looked between Lachlan and Rette. There was no more resemblance between the two than their eyes, but they knew, just by watching Rette, that this man was not lying. He was her father, the very man that had made up her nightmares her whole life.

"Though, I suppose she doesn't use that name, does she?" Lachlan asked, before turning to Mard Geer. "Lord Zeref, himself, named her at birth, and she wants to use some ridiculous nickname."

Sting, Rogue, Gray, and Natsu turned to look at Rette, staring at her in shock. Zeref, the black mage himself, had named her!? Had been there when she had been born!?

"Amoreta," Rette flinched when her father called, almost as if someone had just slapped her across the face with a red hot poker. "I hope you realize how long I've been looking for you." Lachlan's voice went from mocking, to down right cold and menacing. "You disobeyed me, ran away...you have a grand punishment awaiting you, girl."

Rette, remembering vividly the last punishment he had given her, let out a choked gasp as she shook even more fiercely than she had before. She drove her hands into her hair, gripping tightly as she curled in on herself, trying to block out the memories without succeeding. Her friends had never seen her cower so, Lachlan's insane laughter only making it worse.

Rette felt like she was drowning in her memories, every single one popping up before her mind's eye with such clarity that it could have just been yesterday. When he friends had vanished seven years ago, her nightmares had increased, but they had centered on the possible end her friends could have met. She had not had a single memory of her father play in her mind until Future Rogue's warning and now...it was over whelming.

"Look at her! She remembers well my punishments and cowers in fear!" Lachlan laughed.

Natsu, angry that Lachlan was mocking his friend, mentally torturing her, turned back to Rette. He grabbed her by the biceps, giving her a shake to snap her out of it.

"Snap out of it, Rette! You've got to fight the memories." he told her. "You have to stand up to him."

Rette was shaking her head before he ever even finished the first sentence.

"I can't! I can't, Natsu. I'm...I'm scared..."

Rette's voice was tiny, broken, shaking from fear. Her eyes were wide, heart wrenching fear bright in their depths. She was white as a sheet, a cold sweat covering her skin.

Rette wasn't just scared, she was petrified.

She was so beyond scared, wanting nothing more than to sink into the ground and vanish, that it wasn't anywhere close to being funny. Natsu had only ever seen her close to this scared, once and that had been during their mission at the giant village when they had been returned to their childhood bodies and she had suffered from vivid flashbacks to her childhood.

"Rette..."

"Hahaha! Give it up, boy! She knows well what awaits her and she has a right to be afraid." Lachlan called.

All four of Rette's friends turned glared on Lachlan, all four seriously ticked off. Lachlan grinned, his expression holding a level of insanity they had never seen before, but he also looked like he had done a job well done.

"See these?" Lachlan asked, gesturing to the scars on his face. "These were a..."gift" from Amoreta the last time we were face to face. She dared to defy me and when I punished her, she actually had the guts to try to claw my eye out. As always, she couldn't even do that right."

"You deserved it! Chaining her up, calling her nothing...you're no dad!" Gray snapped.

"Is that all she told you I did?" Lachlan roared in laughter. "Boy, I'm that girl's worst nightmare for a reason. I taught her to fear me and through fear, obey me, and when she didn't obey, there were consequences. That scar on her stomach...I did that."

Rette gasped, the memory making her curl in on herself more, her hands pressed to her stomach as the old injury throbbed. Natsu laid a hand on her back, trying to offer some comfort with his touch.

"Why would you do that!? To your own daughter!?" Sting growled.

"She disobeyed me, so...I tried to gut her. She might have died then if she hadn't attacked me and ran off." Lachlan replied.

"That's not a reason to try to kill your own kid!" Natsu snapped.

"Boy, that girl isn't anything more than a means to an end. She means nothing more to me than a tool in my plans." Lachlan replied.

Rette hadn't been kidding when she had said her father didn't care about her. He really didn't think of Rette as his own child, only saw a tool to be used for his own plans.

"How could you feel that way about your daughter? You were there when she was born, right!?" Sting asked.

"...demon..."

Rette's friends looked down at her when she suddenly said a single word, lowly and without moving an inch from her current position.

"What, Rette?" Gray asked.

Lachlan laughed, drawing their attention back to him. He grinned his insane grin, flashing fang-like teeth.

"She's warning you, boy. You see, I am the original Lachlan Banesbloud. The founder of the Banesbloud Clan." Lachlan said.

"But that was over four hundred years ago!" Rogue said. "How can you still be alive?"

"I'm a demon, boy! One of Lord Zeref's demons. I don't have so pathetic of a life span as you humans!"

Rette's father...was a demon.

But then that meant...

All four turned wide eyed looks on Rette in disbelief. Gray suddenly understood why Rette had looked at him in fear when he had revealed he was a Devil Slayer and it explained why Mard Geer had chosen her as a shield. It even explained why the demons' curses didn't really work on her. Rette was...

"Rette, you're..."

"She's half demon." Lachlan confirmed when Gray cut off. "My pathetic, half breed "daughter" as you call her. Not fully demon, but not really human either. She was suppose to be the perfect weapons, able to completely blend in with humans, able to use both magic spells and our demonic curses."

Lachlan heaved a sigh, shrugging his shoulders in a what-can-you-do kind of fashion. He talked about Rette as if she was some kind of household tool with a defect.

"Rette?"

Natsu looked at Rette, but she refused to raise her head. Was this why she refused to speak of her father and her past? She hadn't wanted to admit that she wasn't fully human. Hearing her father speak, Rette didn't answer, she just folded in more on herself.

"Unfortunately, she wasn't quite what I had hoped. All the experiments and procedures...her body was far too human for it all. She ended up having these "fits" I suppose you could call them. Violent things they were. I was almost always sure that the next one would be her last. I knew, by the time she was four, that if she lived past ten, she would be lucky. They were slowly tearing her apart from the inside out. Seems she had more fight in her than I thought." Lachlan remarked.

Fits? Was he talking about all of the times that Rette ran off only to show up later, looking like she was about to fall over dead? This whole time, Rette had acted like she was fine when really, she was slowly dying on the inside. What kind of procedures had her father preformed on her!?

"But that doesn't matter. I know what she's made off now. Come now, Amoreta. Be a good girl and come here. We have a lot of work ahead of us before I effectively beat those idiotic, human ideas out of your head." Lachlan said. "And we'll start by carving that ridiculous mark out of your chest."

Rette's heart couldn't possibly beat any faster. She was scared, terrified, her breathing coming in rapid gasps. If he got his hands on her again...no, she couldn't do it! She couldn't go back to that way of life. If it could even be called life. She would rather die.

Yes...she would rather die.

"Rette!"

Rette was snapped out of those dark thoughts and back to reality, forced to focus on what was in front of her, when Natsu seized her by the shoulders and shook her. Slowly, her eyes focused in on Natsu's face.

"Don't listen to him! You're stronger than he is!" Natsu told her.

"No...I'm not. You don't know what he's capable of, Natsu." Rette replied.

"But we know you!" Gray butted in.

"No...you don't."

Rette hung her head, the weight of her secrets settling in her chest like a heavy weight. She had kept so much from them and now it was all coming out at once, but there was still one big secret Lachlan had yet to spill to her friends.

What, exactly, he had done to her.

And they knew that was what was on her mind.

"Look Rette, whatever he did to you, whatever you really are, it doesn't matter! You're a fairy of Fairy Tail...you're our friend! Our family! We don't care." Natsu told her.

Rette stared at him in disbelief. How could he say that when he didn't know what she was keeping from him. Opening her mouth, ready to tell him, to see if they would still stand beside her, Natsu gave her a shake.

"We don't care. You're Rette Starrilia, the Nexus Mage. What else he says about you, that's not the Rette we know, that's not who you are now!" Natsu snapped at her. "You're the one that took care of our guild while we were gone, the one that gave so much to make sure everyone was alright, the one who never gave up on us even after seven years! You're the one who took the guild upon your shoulders and carried that weight just so everyone else would be safe and happy."

Rette was amazed, to be honest. Natsu, normally, was the stupid one, acting like he had no more sense than a four year old, but then, at times like this...he had the wisdom of a man Makarov's age.

"And the Rette I know, is always stronger than she thinks. Look at all the impossibly strong opponents you've face before. Phantom Lord, Jellal, Laxus, Edolas' king...you even faced off against dragons at the Grand Magic Games. All without batting an eye!" Natsu told her.

"You can't give up now." Gray agreed.

"We're right here with you. Fear isn't evil, it allows us to know our weaknesses and to grow stronger. It might be too much for you alone, but you aren't alone, Rette! We're here too." Natsu told her.

She knew he was right, but she was scared. One look at her father, the man that haunted her every sleeping moment, ever dark corner of her mind and heart, and she could feel her knees shake as she broke out into a sweat. He didn't just scare her...no, he completely petrified her. Froze her on the spot, made her blind to everything else.

Suddenly, Sting was right in front of her face, his hands on either shoulder. After seeing how she had reacted during the Grand Magic Games four years ago, he had a plan.

"Rette...he's threatening what's your's. He wants to take away your guild mark...the mark of your family." Sting told her.

Rette stopped, even her shaking ceasing as the meaning behind those words sank in. Lachlan wanted to...take her family's mark from her.

"He wants to kill all of us, just like his buddies do." Sting added.

One look between Natsu and Sting and Natsu knew what Sting was up to. While they had to worry about Future Rogue's warning, they knew that if they didn't give her a reason to fight and keep fighting than, like Future Rogue said, she would willingly give up and let Lachlan end her life.

"Think about everyone else, how he wants to hurt them like he did you." Sting told her.

"Mira and Lisanna, and Elfman." Natsu listed.

"Erza, Lucy, and Thyme." Sting added.

Gray, catching on, added, "Wendy and Carla, Gajeel and Lily, too."

"Gramps, Laxus, Juvia, and everyone else." Natsu added.

"And us." Sting finished.

As they listed names, Rette's eyes got wider and wider, her hands curling into fists. They knew they had her hooked, but Lachlan laughed at their attempts to get Rette to stand her ground and fight.

"You're wasting your time. Amoreta is only good at running and saving her own neck." Lachlan said.

Rette's friend turned to face him, Natsu and Sting releasing Rette and standing, moving out of her way. They could already feel the tension coming from her. Natsu grinned.

"You really don't know your own daughter then." Sting said, grinning as well.

"What are you talking ab-"

Lachlan cut off, his eyes widening when Rette suddenly rocketed forward, getting inside his guard before he knew it. His arms moved, moving to block her attack, but Rette hit him hard in the gut with a force strong enough to send him flying back off his feet. Lachlan rolled as he hit the ground, coming back to his feet. He stared at his daughter in disbelief. Rette flexed the fingers of her hand as she stood up straight. When her eyes landed on Lachlan, there was no longer fear in her eyes, but anger.

"No one, absolutely no one, threatens what's mine!" Rette snapped.

Natsu and Sting grinned at each other. Rette was predictable when it came to her response to people messing with whatever she claimed as her own, but that came in handy for them. Lachlan jerked his head to one side, his neck popping.

"Alright then, Amoreta. You want a fight, we'll fight. Just remember what happened the last time you stuck your neck out for useless humans." Lachlan told her.

Rette's eyebrow twitched. He had just insulted her friends. He seriously had just called her guild and her friends, useless.

"Once I'm done dealing with your rebelliousness, I'll have fun dealing with each of your so called friends." Lachlan added.

Oh, he was such a dead man.

END

Kyandi: Well, they're right about one thing.

Rette: What's that?

Kyandi: Your temper really is predictable.

Rette: ...

Kyandi: Nothing to say.

Rette: No. I am currently contemplating how to strangle you in your sleep.

Kyandi: You're a figment of my imagination.

Rette: That's why I'm contemplating **how** to do it.

Kyandi: Alright, well...I think we should go.

Rette: Smart choice.

Kyandi: Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: We shall return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	28. Tribulation

Kyandi: Merry Christmas to all you lovely, Kyandiacs. And to those of you who don't celebrate Christmas, Happy Holidays.

Rette: Her present this year is cranking out new chapters for most of her more popular stories.

Kyandi: I wanted to do all of them, but due to my new job, I wasn't able to fill that order in time.

Rette: Little children are demanding.

Kyandi: Yes, they are. But I love them.

Rette: I bet you do.

Kyandi: Anyway, I'm hoping to have another chapter ready as a New Year's present, so, for now, let's jump into this one.

Rette: Enjoy, because, in this chapter, my final secret is revealed.

Kyandi: Yep. I just now realized something.

Rette: What?

Kyandi: You have more in common with Natsu than I thought.

Rette: No spoilers! Just move on.

Kyandi: Right. Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 28 Tribulation

Rette couldn't even begin to say what her feelings were at that moment.

Yes, she was scared. She was pretty sure there was no way she could be any more scared than she already was. But, she was also angry. She knew well what her father was capable of, what he liked to do to his victims and it seriously ticked her off just thinking of him doing such things to her friends. It was a mix of emotions that took her back to her Compound days when she had constantly been angry and scared. Back then, she had always been more scared than angry.

At the moment, though...her anger was definitely trumping her fear.

"If you want to fight, Amoreta, then come and get me." Lachlan mocked.

Rette, growling to herself, shot forward. She was just about to reach her father when the frozen bud part of the Prison Flower that Mard Geer had summoned, broke apart. Rette saw something fly free of it just a moment before the attack hit her, sending her flying backwards towards her friends. Natsu caught her, cushioning her fall.

"Rette! Are you alright!?" Natsu asked.

"I'm fine. What hit me?" Rette asked, sitting up.

What stood before her, was surprising.

"You made it." Mard Geer remarked to the form now standing in front of him and Lachlan.

"Another one appeared! And hey...this smells like..."

"Jiemma." Rette said, finishing Natsu's sentence.

As if she didn't dislike the man already. Standing before them, was the former master of the Sabertooth guild, but, like his daughter, he had been transformed into a demon.

"The man that was at the top of all the guilds. Many called him the reincarnation of the devil himself. Jiemma." Mard Geer called.

Rette glanced at Sting and Rogue. The two were frozen on the spot, shocked by the appearance of their former master. Rette just felt annoyed. She had seriously dislike the man since she had met him four years before.

"That guy...wasn't he the previous Sabertooth master!?" Natsu asked.

"So he was turned into a demon along with Minerva, huh." Gray added.

"Turned? You're wrong. I chose this power for myself. All for the sake of becoming the strongest." Jiemma said.

"What is everyone's obsession with being the best, being the strongest?" Rette snapped.

"I taught you better than that, Amoreta. Power is everything." Lachlan told her.

Something she didn't agree with. To her, her friends, her guild, was everything. It was why she had spent the better part of seven years, taking care of her guild.

"A demon with powers surpassing the Nine Demon Gates...meet our newest member." Mard Geer said, meaning Jiemma.

"Member? With powers of this level and you're calling me a member? Underworld King, once I'm done with these kids, you're next!" Jiemma called before he charged forward.

Sting and Rogue balked in the face of their former master, just as Rette had done in the face of her father. Though her moment of fear and panic, had been far worse. Natsu suddenly yanked Rette to her feet at that moment.

"Don't be afraid! There's nothing to be afraid of! Let's go!" Natsu yelled.

Natsu met Jiemma head on, their punches colliding with a force that was strong enough to kick up wind. But Jiemma's was stronger.

"I have no issues with you." Jiemma told Natsu, sending him flying back.

Rette grit her teeth. She had way more on her plate than she could really handle at the moment. She really didn't need to add yet another bothersome enemy to it. She turned towards Sting and Rogue. If the last seven years had taught her anything, it was that time was too short. There was no time to be paralyzed by fears.

"You two think I should buck up and face my fears, right? Well, now you got to do the same thing!" she told them.

She could tell that both were still afraid, but right now was not a time for any of them to be afraid. Looking at her father, she knew that deep in her bones. So while Sting and Rogue took on Jiemma, that left Gray, Natsu, and Rette facing Mard Geer and Lachlan. Gray turned to Rette, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"You help Natsu. Leave him to me." Gray told her, jabbing a thumb towards Lachlan.

Rette looked up at her friend, her eyes turning to her grinning father. While she still had a hard time looking him in the eye without her fear getting the best of her, she wasn't about to let him terrorize her friends. She was twenty-five, a grown woman, for crying out loud. It was time she started acting like it.

"No. I'll handle him. I owe him a considerable large debt and, as a grown up, I need to pay it off." Rette told him. "But thank you. I have to stand up to my fear, right?"

Natsu and Gray glanced at each other, nodding as they agreed with her. They weren't exactly set on the idea of letting Rette face off with her father considering the warning of her future, but at the moment, it wasn't like they really had a choice. Rette knew her father's powers and abilities far better than any one of them did.

"Finally ready to face me, Amoreta?" Lachlan asked. "I'll make sure to show you a nightmare to trump all nightmares."

Rette tensed up, trying to fight back the urge to start shaking again. Gray's grip on her shoulder tightened, offering her silent support.

"Oh my, looks like my control over emotions are still imperfect." Mard Geer remarked.

"I've told you that you shouldn't bother with trying to control them. Use them as fuel." Lachlan told his comrade.

"Got nobody to protect you now, huh. I will-"

"Don't be full of yourself just yet." Mard Geer said, cutting off Gray. "Did you think you'd be able to defeat me in my true form?"

Before their eyes, smoke rose from Mard Geer's wounds and when it cleared, the wounds were gone. Rette got a really bad feeling about this.

"His wounds..." Natsu breathed.

"It's been four hundred years since END awoken. Should be time I woke up too." Mard Geer said, his appearance changing as he took on his demon form.

"I won't need it to deal with Amoreta." Lachlan remarked.

"Suit yourself." Mard Geer told him, finally standing before them in a form that Rette couldn't even begin to describe. "I am Mard Geer Tartaros. King of the Underworld, and absolute demon." "

Rette was really starting to get a bad feeling. Especially if, as he let on, her father had a second form like that. Her instincts were really starting to scream at her, telling her to run and to never stop. But she couldn't do that. Not this time. This time, she had people counting on her. She couldn't back down now.

"Natsu, Rette." Gray called.

"Yeah, we got it..." Natsu replied, Rette tensing as she prepared herself. "By the name of Fairy Tail, we will bring you down!"

Mard Geer and Lachlan chuckled in amusement.

"Come, humans. This will be our last battle." Mard Geer called.

"Rette," Rette glanced at Natsu out of the side of her eyes. "Don't let him kill you."

"Not happening." Rette replied. "I've lived through too much for him to be the end of me."

"Good. Then let's finish this and go home together." Natsu told her.

Rette nodded, her eyes locking on her grinning father. Home. Rette really wanted to go home. She wanted to go back with her friends, with Thyme and her teammates, with her family. She wanted to see Laxus, healthy and back on his feet. First, she needed to stand up to everything that she had feared for far too long. It was time she surpassed her own limits.

"For our family." Rette agreed.

In complete agreement, the three shot off. Rette hit her father square in the chest with enough force to send him flying back. The two of them hit the ground rolling, both fighting for control of the other. Rette had never, in her life, thought she would find herself tangling with her father. All too clearly, the memory of the last time they were together, came flooding back into her head as she grappled with Lachlan.

She had been five and a ragged, poorly dressed, under fed, and beaten, sorry excuse for a child. Her father, in an attempt to teach her that she was more demon than she was human, had decided to turn her against the only child in the Compound that had dared to try to befriend her. He had brought her before the boy, who had already been beaten pretty badly, and had demanded that she put an end to his pitiful life. Rette had refused, had even stood between the boy and her father.

Obviously, her defiance hadn't gone over so well with Lachlan. Lachlan had always had a problem with his temper once it was sparked. It was one of the things they had in common.

Rette remembered the pain and fear she had felt when his clawed hand had sliced into her stomach. She had reacted blindly, lashing out in an attempt to save her life, for she knew he would kill her. Now that she saw the results for herself...she was glad it had scarred him. She was glad that every time the bastard saw his reflection, he was forced to remember the one time she had gotten one up on him.

It was about the only victory she had over him.

Rette was snapped out of her memories by a mighty punch to her stomach. All of the air in her lungs was forced out and she staggered back from Lachlan, gripping her stomach. She had forgotten just how heavy handed his punches were. Jolting, she jumped back away from Lachlan as he charged her again. Casting quickly, her Sun Wings sprouted from her back, carrying her up into the air. Lachlan wouldn't be stopped so easily. With the reflexes and physical strength of his fellow demons, he launched himself into the air.

Rette rocketed away, avoiding his attack. She needed to find a location that would benefit her more than him. Somewhere rocky where she could keep the high ground. She feared that if she let him get over her head, he would have the advantage. In her flight, she spotted many of her guild mates below her.

"Rette!"

Rette's eyes flickered to the ground below where she could make out Lisanna, Elfman, and a few others, including Wendy and even Doranbolt. She had only a moment to wonder what he was doing there before Lachlan hit her from behind, knocking her from the sky. She hit a ledge above her guild mates, twisting to jam her feet into her father's gut. Heaving, she kicked him off of her and quickly rolled to her feet, turning to face him as he rose to his feet.

"Rette, that's...!"

"Stay back!" Rette snapped, her eyes flickering over to her guild mates as they stared in wide eyed horror at her father.

This really was a disadvantage. She didn't need her guild mates there at the moment. Her father would only use them as shields. At the moment, Lachlan was glaring down at her friends, contempt in his eyes.

"More of your so-called family, I take it? I honestly thought I had knocked more sense into that head of your's, Amoreta." Lachlan remarked, shaking his head.

"Amoreta?" Lisanna asked, looking at her brother.

Rette tried hard to ignore them, for her own sake of mind. If she started worrying about their opinion, then she would leave herself open to her father's attack.

"Oh yes, because I've ever been anything but a disappointment to you, Father." Rette retorted.

She heard the gasps from her friends but forced herself not to look at them. She just couldn't look at the horror and judgement in their eyes, even though part of her knew they wouldn't judge her for who, or what, her father was.

"Ha! I've seen you've grown into some sass." Lachlan remarked, as if amused. "But it won't save you. How many times do I have to beat it into your head? You aren't human, girl. There's no place for those useless human thoughts in your life. I've lost several years worth of work with you. Do you know just how angry Lord Zeref was with me when you ran away?" Lachlan asked, his tone getting icier by the moment.

Rette wanted to back away, but she held her ground. To back away now, meant that she had to face the questioning looks of her friends. She still wanted to back away, though. There had been a time when that tone would have had her cowering in the corner of a room, but she was grown up now and she wasn't doing it.

She couldn't face Laxus if she backed down now.

"Perhaps you should have thought that through before you treated your daughter like a disposable pack mule!" she snapped.

Her reply was Lachlan throwing his head back in a laugh. She really hated when people laughed at her. He really didn't think much of her if he was honestly going to stand there and laugh like a loon. Then again, he wasn't exactly sane.

"I'll give these humans one thing. They certainly have taught you how to have a back bone. Though, you're presenting it to the wrong person. Honestly, Amoreta, think. Your mother and I both have brains, so I know you do too." Lachlan retorted, gesturing vaguely towards her guild mates. "Do you truly think these humans would accept you if they knew the true you? If they could see what you truly are when you stop hiding that seal under your choker?"

Rette's hand flew to the choker around her neck, her eyes flickering to her friends and their questioning looks. She hadn't paid the seal any attention since the fight had started. Her hand banded around her throat protectively. She had gone this long without telling anyone other than Mavis. She really didn't want to tell anyone now.

"I know you've felt it stirring. Every time you get angry, every time you lose control of your temper. You can hear it chanting in your ear, telling you to kill, to maim and destroy. To cast this world into tribulation. I've seen you let loose of it before, I've watched as your vision become tunneled and you don't stop until everything in your path is destroyed." Lachlan said, describing her fits of anger to a "t". "But around these humans, you've had to hide it, to fight it, constantly having to push it back so you don't hurt anyone around you. It must be so tiring to deny what you truly are, Amoreta."

Fighting back the urges that arose when her anger grew, was tiring. It was, literally, a fight for her body every single time. And it had only gotten worse the stronger she had gotten. Over the last seven years, especially, it had felt more and more like an fighting an uphill fight.

"Come now, Amoreta. Come with me." Lachlan insisted, holding out a hand. "You will have punishment for your disobedience, but in the long run, you won't have to hide who you are anymore. You'll be strong, you'll be unstoppable...you'll be happy."

Happy, he said.

What did he know about happiness!?

She had been miserable every day of her life. Every day she had hoped it would be her last because at least then, she wouldn't have to live with the fear and anger gnawing at her constantly. Had she stayed, had she lived with it, she would have grown up killing and hurting others, causing destruction and ruining lives just like he had ruined hers. Happiness? No, she had never been happy and she knew she would have never experienced a moment of happiness if she had stayed.

No, her happiness was now.

Her happiness was all the laughs with her friends, all the random, stupid fights that were started for no reason, all the celebrations that ended in a guild hall full of passed out guild mates. Going on jobs with her teammates, sitting back and chilling with her friends, going home everyday with her best friend and having a quiet meal together. The senseless, back and forth teasing with Laxus. That was her happiness.

And she loved her happiness.

"No."

"What was that?" Lachlan growled, glaring at his daughter.

Rette stood there, her fists balled at her sides. When she raised her head, she had a look on her face he had never seen before. So many emotions played through her eyes. Happiness, joy...love.

"I said no, Father." Rette told him, her voice calm. "I'm not Amoreta anymore. I'm not the little girl who cowered in front of you and did as you said because she was too scared to try to do anything else. That's not me anymore. I'm not Amoreta Banesbloud. I am Rette Starrilia, the Nexus Mage, a fairy of Fairy Tail. _**That's**_ who I am."

Lachlan laughed again, but there was no humor behind this laugh. He wasn't happy that she was actually standing up to him, but Rette wasn't the same scared, little girl she had been. She wasn't going to sit back and let him take away what was dearest to her. Not again, at least.

"What can possibly be so appealing about these humans?" Lachlan asked, turning a disgusted look on her friends. "They're nothing, just useless little ants for us to step on."

"No. They are so much more than you will ever be able to understand." Lachlan's eyes snapped to his daughter as she cast a look at her friends. When her eyes returned to him, they were firm. "It's simple...I love them."

"Love!? Ha! Such a useless emotion and you don't even know what it is!" Lachlan snapped.

"I might not have when I was little, but I do know now and it's not useless. I love these people and for some strange reason beyond my understanding, they love me. Because of that connection, because of those bonds, I've gotten stronger. I love these people for every sacrifice they've made for me, for every time they've bled for me or gained injury because of me. I love them for every smile they've given me, for the fact that they never tried to control me. I love them for every kind word they've ever said."

She could go on and on, listing the things about her friends that she loved with all of her heart. Even things that most people wouldn't love, she adored. Like Natsu's stupidity and his way of starting fights, or Erza's over bearing ways. She loved it all because it was what made her friends who they were and she loved them all with all of her broken heart.

"I love them without a single doubt. Unlike you. You, I hate." Rette went on, finally putting to words what she had felt for years. "I hate you for everything you've ever taken from me, for every time you pushed and beat me, for all the lies and fear. I hate you for never once protecting me, for never once offering me even a moment of reprieve. I hate you for never once delivering me from pain, for being the one to cause it. I hate you so much, it drives me insane."

If truth was to be told, all she had ever wanted, all she had ever craved in her life, was to know, just for one brief second, that her father had cared for her at all. Was it so much to ask for? For just a moment of love from the man that was suppose to be her father? Or was that too human of an emotion for someone like her?

"Heh...looks like you did get something from me after all." Lachlan remarked darkly, his eyes fixed solely on his daughter. "Because I hate you, too."

Was she crazy that that remark only made her heart ache? All she had ever asked for was a moment of love and instead of love, he had given her pain. All she had ever wanted as a child was for him to acknowledge her as his daughter, for him to deem her good enough. Just being good enough would have made her dark days better, but, of course, he couldn't even so much as give her that. He had sat back, watched her bleed and writhe in pain, had squashed all her hopes, and had ignored her pleas for help. All with a smile on his face.

Rette, herself, didn't understand it. Perhaps it was the innate need in every child to gain the approve and love of their parents. The need to be loved by one's own flesh and blood. It was a little difficult for a person to expect love from anyone else if their own flesh and blood hated them enough to put them through hell on earth. She had found the love and acceptance anyhow, though it had taken so many years and a lot of time on her own.

She had learned that everything she did in life, had to be for something, or for someone. Lachlan might have held her down, might have tried to suffocate the life out of her until she was a mindless minion following his orders, but she wasn't going to go down for nothing. Yes, it hurt to know that her father, her own flesh and blood, hated her, but it was a pain she had long since grown use to. Besides, she had some news for him.

"How you feel doesn't matter, Amoreta. I am your father and you will obey me." Lachlan said.

"No. No, you're not." Rette replied. "I had a dad after I ran away from you and I have a father who loves me now. My father is Makarov Dreyer, not you!"

She had never said it aloud, had never once claimed Makarov as her father, but now that she had said it...she knew it was true. Makarov, in more ways than one, had been the father she had always craved. Yes, Tundron had been her dad, had been the creature she had called daddy when she had awoken from a nightmare, but Makarov was the one that had not only taken her in, but had taught her that family wasn't just the people related to her by blood. They were the people who stood by her through thick and thin and loved her despite her flaws and short comings. Makarov protected her, even when she didn't need it, stood up for her even when she could do it on her own, encouraged her, supported her, and loved her as if she really was his own daughter.

Makarov, not Lachlan, was her father.

And she was going to protect the family her father loved so dearly.

No matter what it took.

Rette tugged at her gloves, yanking them off and throwing them to the side. This bared the brands on the back of her hands, as well as the strange, crystal bands around her wrist that shifted from one color to the next.

"I'm done talking to you, done trying to live up to your impossible standards. No matter the methods I have to use, I'm ending this here and now." Rette announced.

She was done holding back in fear, she was done cowering, done running and hiding. Her friends had helped her so much, had supported her for so long. This time, she was going to stand on her own two feet and face what lay in front of her. So she braced her feet and dug deep, pulling forth every last bit of magic she could. She would need it all to preform the next spell she had in her arsenal. Well...preform it and not kill herself.

She just hoped Makarov would forgive her for lying to him.

As her magic built around her, the sky directly over head begun to darken. She had claimed, not long ago, "I never said I used it", but the truth was, while she had never said she had use it...she never said she hadn't, either. And what was a little more insanity when she was already swimming in the deep end?

Rette focused her concentration, the black lines of a magic array drawing itself on her very skin. This was dangerous, but she doubted her normal arsenal of magic spells would stand a chance against her father.

"Divine retribution of allies fallen, the almighty revenge of the world beyond, grand gift of the One Magic, powerful creator of life and blesser of magic, grant thy revenge!" Rette raised an arm to the sky as she cried out the incantation. Wind built as the air around her grew thick and dense with an icky feeling that made it difficult for her to breathe. Even Lachlan locked his knees to keep from being knocked over. The sky over head swirled, a pillar of black light falling on Rette and her father. "Arc of Tribulation...Tribulation of the Fallen!"

Darkness and tribulation...a fitting magic for one who had been born in the dark. It had been the first magic she had ever learned...the only magic her father had taught her. Even knowing that his half human daughter would fall into a endless, spiraling pit of insanity and distrust, he had taught her the magic. Perhaps, if she had been fully human, the magic would have twisted her far worse than it had and now that she was older, she understood what damage the magic had already done in her life.

Trusting, loving others, opening herself up, showing her emotions, or even just understanding them, was extremely difficult for her and it was all because of this magic her father had forced on her. It was part of the reason why she had stopped using it, but now...it if meant saving her friends from the nightmare that was her father, then she would gladly deal with the results.

Almost as soon as the last word of the incantation was out of her mouth, she felt the burning pain flood her body, making her muscles seize and clamp down on her bones. The pain, though, wasn't the worst part. It was the emotional and mental toll it took on her afterward. Pain eventually faded, but the hallow, distrustful, self hating feeling the magic left her with...that never went away.

Distantly, she heard the scream of her name as the world around her and Lachlan was swallowed in darkness. The pressure that hit next, drove Rette to her hands and knees. Whatever she felt, though, would be twenty times worse for Lachlan. For the person on the receiving end, they would feel all the pain that her injured and fallen comrades had felt, but a hundred times worse and all at once. To him, it would feel like something unseen was ripping him apart, all without leaving a single mark on his body.

She heard his cursing turn to yells as the pressure increased on her body. Then she felt it. Rette gasped, curling in on herself as somewhere in her gut, it felt like someone had grabbed her insides and was twisting them about. This part...this was new. She had never felt this while casting one of the spells. It was only when the pressure and force of the spell finally lifted, that she got any relief from the pain. As the darkness faded and light returned, she was left panting for breath, the hallow feeling settling in and increasing until she felt like she would never feel anything but self loathing.

Raising her head, Rette peered towards Lachlan. He was sprawled on his back, not moving an inch. Rette couldn't muster up any kind of emotion to seeing her father, her life long tormentor, laying there like that. Not joy, not relief, nothing. All she could feel was the pain in her gut. She didn't know what was going on. This pain was new and was followed by the feeling of something sucking energy from her body, both magical and physical. It made her disoriented to the point that she could just barely make out her friends calling to her.

She tried to raise to her feet and instantly crashed back to the ground. It was like her body had no strength left. While the Arc of Tribulation spells had left her tired when she was younger, she was stronger now, with more magic energy. It shouldn't have left her feeling the way she was.

"Exhausting, isn't it?"

Rette's eyes went wide, her head rising. Lachlan was shifting, climbing to his feet as he dusted himself off as if nothing had happened. No, this couldn't be. He shouldn't have been able to shake off the spell like that. He shouldn't have been able to get back up as if nothing had happened.

He should have been dead.

Lachlan grinned, looking down at her as he straightened his clothes. Seeing her exhausted and close to defeat, had always been an amusing time for him. Rette, though, couldn't conjure up the anger she had always felt when she saw that look on his face.

"I had an inkling that you would try that. Do you honestly think I would have taught you such a thing without making sure you couldn't use it against me? It seems you've also gained your mother's naivety." Lachlan remarked.

"My mother was a great mage." Rette replied.

"How would you know, Amoreta? I killed her when you were only a few days old. Had I known you would be such a failure, I would have kept her around. Oh, well. As they say, hind sight is twenty/twenty." Lachlan said with a sigh.

Okay, so a little of that anger was starting to bleed through the numbness.

Then Lachlan turned his eyes on her friends. He eyed them for a moment as he popped each of his knuckles, one at a time. It felt like ice was being poured down her back when she saw the slow grin curl his lips up. She knew what he was thinking before he ever said a word.

"Be a good girl and stay right there, Amoreta, while I..."greet" your so called family." Lachlan said.

"Greet" her ass!

The numb feeling that had fallen over her was suddenly shattered as anger and fear for her friends dumped adrenaline into her system. She was scrambling forward before she knew it, hitting her father at the waist and wrapping her arms around his waist to drag him to a stop. She firmly braced her feet and refused to be budged from the spot. Lachlan grappled with her, jamming an elbow into her collar bone, anything to get her to release him. Rette held on tight, turning her eyes to her friends.

"Get out of here! He will kill you!" Rette snapped.

Her friends jolted when she screamed. None of them wanted to leave her when they all knew the warning about the man with the scars on his face. Rette, seeing this, grit her teeth.

"Go... _ **NOW!**_ " she snapped.

"You are really starting to aggravate me, Amoreta." Lachlan growled.

Rette let out a grunt when one of his hands was suddenly shoved into her face, pushing her back as he pried her arms free. Shoving, he sent her toppling over easily. In the process, he grabbed ahold of her choker, pulling it off. Rette hit the ground, her hand instantly flying up to the intricately carved seal that wrapped around her throat.

"I think it's time I force you to remember exactly what it is you are, Amoreta."

Rette couldn't move fast enough to get away from her father. She took to the air again, knowing that to let him catch her now would mean him exposing the last secret she had managed to keep. She blew past Natsu and Gray as Mard Geer dragged their heads against broken walls, landing on a perch from which she could see both Natsu and Gray's fight and Sting and Rogue's fight.

A second later, her father hit her from behind. Rette rolled with him, fighting to get her feet between him and her, but his hand clamped around her throat, driving her backwards onto the ground. Rette gripped at his wrist, trying to pry his fingers away. Lachlan simply grinned down at her as Natsu and the others called out to her.

All four tried to abandon their fights to go to her rescue, but were stopped. From where they stood, all any of them could see was Rette fighting with her father to pry his hand away from her throat. The man grinned as a dark magic rolled off him, traveling down his arm to Rette. The sounds that left Rette then, had them increasing their fight to get to her. Screams of pain and sounds of gagging left her.

They froze, though, as, before their eyes, Rette's hands begun to turn into claws, dark marks spreading from her neck to color parts of her skin a dark maroon in color. The marks spread down her legs, thickening and turning to scales as her feet grew in length, her toes turning to claws. She clawed at Lachlan's arm, gagging and gasping in pain as horns begun to curl from her temples, skeletal-like claws curling over her cheeks as her ears grew until they were pointed, the pointed ends split in two.

The transformation was nothing like her Take Over magic and seemed to be very painful for Rette. Only when it was done did Lachlan release Rette, backing away from her. Rette rolled over to her hands and knees, gasping in a pained breath. With her on her in that position, they could see the long, furry ended, maroon tail that curled out from her tail bone, as well as the maroon, fur covered wings that had grown from her shoulder blades. When she raised her face, they found that the maroon marks had moved to her face, slashing across her face from the right side of her chin, over her nose, and across the left eye.

The change that really surprised them, was when she opened her eyes. Her right eye was still the same as it had always been, but the left was not. There was no pupil, no line between the whites of her eyes and the irises. Hell, there wasn't even the white to the eye. The whole eye, whites and all, was magenta in color, the edge changing to lavender.

Lachlan laughed as he looked at his daughter trying to get her bearings. Turning to look at her friends, he flashed his fang-like teeth in a grin.

"Do you boys get it now? This, _**this**_ , is Amoreta's real form. Disappointingly, she was far too human when she was born. She didn't have a demon form of her own. Not very useful to me." Lachlan remarked, glancing at Rette, who was still disoriented from the forced transformation. "So, I experimented and finally, with the help of my lord, Lord Zeref, I was able to seal a fellow demon inside her."

Rette...Rette had a demon sealed into her body.

It was different from her Take Over magic, she couldn't control the demon. All she could do was hope the seal held out and the demon remained locked away. It did, though, explain her anger. When she was angry, it was like she had to fight to keep control of her body. Now they knew what she had to fight.

Lachlan laughed again. He couldn't be happier with the turmoil he was wrecking in his daughter's mind, heart, and life. Gesturing grandly towards Rette, he declared the one thing that made Natsu, Gray, Sting, and Rogue stare at Rette in horror.

"Take a good look, boys. This is one of Lord Zeref's demons. Amoreta, the demon of Tribulation."

END

Kyandi: For those of you who have read the manga through to the end, you know understand what I meant by Rette and Natsu having more in common.

Rette: The difference being that I can handle it without it nearly killing me.

Kyandi: Well, you do have a knack for mixing magic.

Rette: Ironically, Kyandi-sama didn't even plan for that being the case when she first devised my magic.

Kyandi: It just kind of fell together. I'm lucky that way.

Rette: It's about all the luck you do have.

Kyandi: Sadly, that's about right. Anyway, we've digressed. Everyone, I hope you all enjoy the holidays and that the season brings you all good cheer.

Rette: We will be back before New Year's to wish you all a great start to the new year.

Kyandi: Right. So everyone enjoy and review, and have a great holiday.

Rette: We will return before New Year's.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	29. Done and Over

Kyandi: ...

Rette: What are you doing?

Kyandi: I'm putting on protective gear.

Rette: Why?

Kyandi: My readers are going to kill me when they finish reading this chapter.

Rette: Well you really only have yourself to blame.

Kyandi: Gee, I love you too.

Rette: Don't you think you should greet your readers?

Kyandi: Hello all Kyandiacs, goodbye world.

Rette: You're being over dramatic. I guess I'm going to have to wrap this up.

Kyandi:...I'm so dead...

Rette: Everyone, please enjoy and review. Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 29 Done and Over

Silence.

Silence was never good, silence was deafening, but Rette couldn't bring herself to look up from the ground, her head hanging. She couldn't even began to think of something to say, some excuse to give, and she wouldn't give excuses. Her father was right. This was who she was.

The halfling spawn of a demon.

Her guild, her friends, had accepted a lot about her, but everything paled in comparison to this reveal. With all they had learned of her, she had asked them to accept and wave off a lot. This was just too much. Far too much. How in the world could she expect them to accept a creature like her.

Lachlan's laugh rang in her ears then, making her shoulders hunch more. Damn him, damn this whole thing, damn her and this cursed form. Rette was so sick and tired of living in fear, whether that fear was of Lachlan, of being thrown back into the darkness of her past, or of others finding out exactly what she was. It always seemed as if her father and life were constantly trying to tell her that, instead of being free, she would burn for something she couldn't control.

It sucked being different.

And maybe it was the form she was in, maybe it was the demon's influence in her, but she could feel her anger at her father rocketing up one notch at a time. She hated this, she hated him. What she wouldn't give to kill him, to end this constant fear and anger. Then she could leave, she could vanish and never darken Fairy Tail's doorstep again. After all, how could she even began to ask them to accept this?

"We don't care."

Rette's head flew up, shock shaking her out of her thoughts. Her eyes landed on Natsu, who, firmly, stated that they didn't care. He was staring directly at Rette, his eyes locking on hers, refusing to let her look away from him.

"What was that?" Lachlan demanded.

"We don't care what you have to say! We don't care about any of that stuff!" Natsu snapped.

"We know exactly who she is and nothing you say can change that. Her name isn't Amoreta. It's Rette!" Sting added.

"We know everything we need to know about her. She's stubborn and pessimistic, yeah, but she loyal and devoted. She protects those she cares about, fiercely, and she's a supportive friend. She held up our guild and carried it on her shoulders through a dark time. She's our friend, our family!" Gray chimed in.

"She's a thousand times better than someone like you." Rogue agreed.

"We aren't going to stop supporting her, stop being there for her, because of something you did to her! Rette is our friend and we refuse to let you take her away!" Natsu yelled. "We'll fight you for her!"

"Guys..."

Rette couldn't even put to words what she was feeling. She felt like her heart had just tried to jump out of her chest. She...she...she knew she couldn't let them fight for her. Ultimately, in the end, she knew she wasn't worth it. Her friends, the people she had been surrounded by all this time...they were too good for the likes of her. She had allowed herself to bask in the dream for too long. Now it was time to wake up and face the truth.

She was a monster and they deserved better.

With that thought firmly in her head, Rette rose to her feet. All eyes locked on Rette, Natsu grinning, thinking he had reached her and had given her the heart to carry on the fight.

"Rette-"

"Stay out of it."

Her four friends froze, staring up at her as she raised her head. Her expression was something they could only describe as seriously deadly. There was nothing in her eyes except something along the lines of disgust. Though they didn't know what it was directed at.

"Rette?" Gray called.

"This is my fight. Stay out of it, for your own good. Focus on winning and living." she told them.

With that, she turned to face her father. Lachlan raised an eyebrow when he saw the expression on her face. It was almost...sad, as she looked at him. As if her heart was breaking under some kind of realization.

"You know, in some ways...you're right, Father."

Rette's admittance surprised them all and instantly rose protests from her friends. But Rette merely held up a clawed hand, silencing her four friends. She needed them to be quiet.

"I'm not worth anything." Rette silenced her friends' protests once more. "I'm well aware of my short comings. As a human and as a demon, because, sadly, I can never be either or. I can try to deny one side or the other, can try to continue on as if I never knew this is what I am, but that's just trying to fool myself, as well as those around me. Constantly, it feels like I'm awake, but my world, who I am, is half asleep. So, you're right...I am tired of trying to hide what I am."

Rette fixed her eyes on her father, her shoulders stiffening as she straightened them. Her back went straight and she braced her feet. She knew what she said was true. Whether she was trying to be a human or a demon, she always came up short. She was forced to walk the middle ground in a situation where none existed. But she had managed to thrive, all these years, creating just enough ground for her to take that vital next step.

She had built herself a life, had changed, bit by bit. So, yes, she was aware that, someday, everything would eventually catch up to her. There really was no getting away when a person was trying to run from their past. Eventually, it always caught up and Rette had been running for way too long. She knew that someday she would have to face what was inside her, would have to accept everything she was and everything she had been forced to do under her father's orders.

Someday.

For now...she could accept the person she had become, the better person her friends had made her.

"I'm tired of being afraid, of being angry, tried of constantly feeling like the little child you use to shame by making her walk around naked after you whipped her." Mard Geer glanced at Lachlan, who merely shrugged his shoulders. He had done a lot of things like that to Rette when he was bored. "I'm tired of everything, of constantly never getting enough sleep because of nightmares, of always having to fight just to keep control of my body...I'm tired of feeling angry at myself because some, tiny part of me is still trying to find approval from her heartless father. One kind word, or even a half decent word, just one! Would that have killed you!?"

"Yes."

The answer was quick and blunt, and left Lachlan without a moment's thought. Rette heaved a sigh. She should have known. If ever there was a person in the world that shouldn't of had kids...it was Lachlan Banesbloud. Funnily enough, despite expecting it, she couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of her lips.

"Go figure. You always were the world's worst father." Rette said lowly. "Well then, I call it quits."

"What!?"

Rette ignored the yell from her friends. She hadn't meant what they thought she meant. She wasn't calling it quits in that way.

"What do you mean?" Lachlan done.

"I done with all of that. I know I'm not worth much, but this is my life and I'm calling my own shots for now on." Rette replied, pointing one claw at her chest. "So, no, I don't care if not good enough for you and I don't care what you want to think about me. I honestly don't know why I ever cared, because, frankly, all that you are, everything that makes you, you, is everything I don't ever want to be."

"That's right. You won't ever be like me, because you are nothing in this world without me, Amoreta." Lachlan growled, making his daughter let out a curt laugh.

Maybe she had lost her mind and that was where she got the courage to say what she was saying.

"To you, I'm nothing, simply because I'm nothing like you. You only think you know me, but you have no idea. I don't want to be you, or anything like you. Yes, I'm not fully human, but I'm not fully demon either and I never want to be. You're a foul, disgusting creature, so shove it where the sun don't shine. I'm done! When everything is done, and this life is over, there's only going to be one name on my grave and that's not Amoreta. It's Rette Starrilia." Rette snapped. "You don't control me anymore, and truthfully, I think that scares you."

"Scares me!? You're awfully full of yourself, girl. I don't fear anyone." Lachlan snapped back.

"Everyone fears something. Even demons like you. All you've ever done is try to build yourself up, put yourself above others so they would fear you, so that you could tear down others, like me. You want to know what else I'm tired of? I'm so tired of you telling me who and what I should be, tired of you telling me what I can and can't do and what in this world I should believe. I'm so sick and tired of you telling me that I will burn in hell, that I will never be free! I hate to break it to you, but you don't have control of me anymore."

Lachlan didn't like hearing this, but with each word, Rette felt her confidence grow. Everything was coming to light now. Why not share with the world what she had been holding back for so long. All her fears, her concerns, what she was so tired of, what she constantly kept hidden. She was done hiding, done holding it back.

"Yeah, you might be able to control this seal, but guess what...I'm the one in control, not the demon! You really think I would have gone this long without learning a little mental fortitude?" Rette asked. "So if this form is what it'll take to end this once and for all, then to hell with it!"

Lachlan's eyes widened as Rette's wings spread and she was suddenly shooting towards him with more speed than she had before. All four of her friends hissed when Rette smacked her father hard enough to send him flying straight through a thick slab of broken wall. Rette's clawed toes barely touched the ground before, with a whip of her tail, she was on the move again. Lachlan was quick to react this time, moving before she could hit him. Following the two after that, was a difficult task. Her friends were only able to tell where she was by the sudden explosion of rock and dirt when they crashed into something.

They soon found out that Rette's "curse" was similar to her actual magic. She was able to copy and combine the curses of all the other demons she had come in contact with. Evident by the the fact that after punching her, Lachlan's fist exploded, thorns bursting forth to wrap him tightly. Rette perched herself on a cliff over head, her long tail flicking back forth over her head. Opening her mouth, she imitated the sound of high speed, slicing winds and a tornado burst to life, black water sprouting from it's base to flood the bowl shaped crater Lachlan had ended up in after the explosion of his fist.

Natsu and Gray jumped away from Mard Geer as the tornado suddenly veered their way, smashing into Mard Geer, who was able to pull himself free and jump clear.

"Lachlan, control your daughter." Mard Geer called.

"If you think you can do a better job, then you take her! She's stubborn, just like her mother!" Lachlan snapped back.

He cursed when Rette suddenly landed on his head, pouching on him similar to the way a cat would pouch on a mouse. Her tail flicking and all. Lachlan threw her off with an annoyed yell. Rette simply rolled with the action, popping back to her clawed feet, gave a single hop, and was crashing back into Lachlan once more. It was almost as if her energy had doubled from her normal levels. She would pounce on Lachlan, dealing damage, and then would bounce away.

Lachlan finally grew tired of it.

With a stomp of his foot, a thick, dark cloud exploded outward. As it rolled over Rette's friends, all any of them could see or hear was their worst nightmares coming to life. It left each and everyone of them pale and shaken.

"What the hell was that?" Gray asked.

"When I said he was what my nightmares were made of...I meant in a literal sense." Natsu and Gray both jumped, looking down at their feet to find Rette, literally, popping up out of a hole in the ground. She was now right between the two, her tail curling over her back as her wings shifted. "Lachlan Banesbloud is the demon of nightmares. Every person in the world has something they fear. He taps into that and brings it to life for his victims and when they're paralyzed in fear and unable to see, much less fight back against, an enemy...he slowly cuts them to ribbons."

"This guy is seriously twisted!" Gray snapped.

"Now you see why I'm so messed up, myself." Rette replied. "You don't have a father like that and not come out of it less than human."

Gray and Natsu looked down at Rette, but her eyes were set on her father as he got to his feet and angrily dusted himself. Spinning on the spot, he yelled her name, sounding pissed beyond belief. If the way his eyes were glowing, the whites turning black, was any indication, then he was far beyond being angry.

"You are really starting to piss me off." Lachlan snapped.

"Tribulation is to be in a state of great trouble, strife, and suffering. I am only as you made me." Rette retorted.

Rette suddenly spread her wings, shooting straight into the sky. To Gray and Natsu's great surprise, she latched onto the back of their belts and took them with her, saving them from Lachlan and Mard Geer's combined attack.

"Well...obviously, I didn't get my temperament from him. He becomes angry far easier than I do." Rette remarked as they looked down at Lachlan and Mard Geer.

"Yeah, well your temper is nothing to sneeze at." Gray retorted.

"Yes, I know, but now you know why. Anger is one of the easiest emotions for a demon to latch onto and then act through. It's why I always tried to hide emotion, to fight it back. It was just...easier." Rette replied. Gray and Natsu glanced over their shoulders at Rette. "She, the demon, is Amoreta, not me. We just got lumped together under one name. Amoreta is very...vindictive. She doesn't like that I've had the control all these years."

"You make it sound like two different personalities." Gray said.

"In a way, it is. We're two separate beings sharing one living space, basically. Only, the other one is a crazy psychopath who finds joy in taunting and tormenting others, in making life on this planet a lot more difficult than it really should be." Rette replied. Shifting her attention below to where Mard Geer and Lachlan stared up at them, Rette shifted her grip on her teammates. "I'm going to drop you on him. Best of luck."

Gray and Natsu nodded, bracing themselves before Rette released them, letting them drop towards Mard Geer. Rette instantly followed, dive bombing Lachlan, who took the full body attack with a grunt. He landed on his back, Rette on his chest, and his expression that of someone highly annoyed.

"If I knew you were going to get this big, I would have done something to keep you that same size as Lamy." Lachlan retorted sourly.

"Are you calling me fat?" Rette demanded.

"It's the damn horns!" Lachlan snapped, reaching for the horns curling out of Rette's temples. Rette jumped into the air, her wings spreading to catch her. "I really want to rip them out!"

"Temper, temper." Rette tsked.

Lachlan's reply was swipe of clawed fingers that sent dark blades flying her direction. With a pump of her wings, Rette rocketed backwards. She twisted, turning her head to make sure she wouldn't run into a rock face or anything. Instead, she was greeted with the quickly approaching back of Jiemma. Twisting, she hit feet first, driving the male forward. Sting and Rogue stared at her in surprise as she twisted once more and took off again, leaving a furious Jiemma cursing her.

It kind of scared her how easily being the her demon form came back to her. She hadn't used the form since she was five, and yet, it was as if no time had passed. She had quickly fallen back into how to move her wings, how to make her tail whip out how she wanted it to, how to use her curse. It all came back to her so easily. While it helped with fighting, it upset her. It only showed that she had a demon half as well.

Not that she could dwell on that long.

Lachlan appeared in front of her face. Rette dropped, sailing right between his legs. Lachlan whipped around, his eyes widening when Rette clicked her tongue to make a sound like that of an explosion. With a grunted yell, Lachlan was sent flying right into Mard Geer, knocking the demon to the side. Rette took the chance to pounce on both of them, driving her feet into Lachlan's back and Lachlan into Mard Geer.

"What was that about me being too big?" Rette demanded.

She jumped away with both demons suddenly surged up. She landed between Gray and Natsu. Lachlan and Mard Geer got to their feet, Lachlan dusting off his clothes as he muttered to himself.

"Is it really so difficult to handle one little girl?" Mard Geer asked.

"You're more than welcome to try to deal with her, if you want. I'd be happy to take the two little boys off your claws." Lachlan retorted, waving a hand in Rette, Natsu, and Gray's direction.

"I think daddy dearest isn't too pleased with you, Rette." Gray remarked.

"Story of my life." Rette retorted.

"Wait...what are they doing?"

Natsu suddenly asking that, had Rette fixing her eyes completely on Lachlan and Mard Geer. Much like Sting and Rogue had done earlier, the two were getting ready to combine their attacks. Rette didn't have a good feeling about this.

"Get down!" Rette snapped.

She jumped up, pushing her two friends down and joining them. Her wings spread to completely cover her two friends. When the attack hit, all Natsu and Gray felt was the increase in pressure on their bodies. Rette, though, felt the burnt of the attack right between her shoulder blades where her wings sprouted. It ached too much to move her wings that Natsu and Gray had to move them off of them.

"Rette!"

The moment they laid eyes on Rette's back, they were met with a bloody mess. Rette, braced on her hands and knees, really just wanted to collapse then and there and not move again, but the fight wasn't over.

"I'll be fine." Rette told her friends, as the two hovered over her. "Demons' curses can hurt and even kill each other, but when compared to the damage done to humans, it's less. That would have killed the two of you, but I'll be fine. It's about the only good thing about being half and half."

"Listen to her boys. About all she was ever good at was remembering facts." Lachlan called.

Rette glanced at her father before lowering her voice. She turned to look at Gray.

"Gray." Gray turned his eyes to Rette. "If I can create an opening, do you think you can hit him with your Devil Slaying magic? I can't handle this on my own. Not with my wings out of commission and I can't use my magic in this form."

Gray nodded in agreement. Taking out one of the two demons would help matters considerably and up until that point, Rette had been relying upon speed to best Lachlan, who wasn't all that fast himself. In her current form, her wings were a key part of her speed. Without them...she was going to need help.

"But what about the other one?" Gray asked.

"Leave him to me." Natsu said confidently.

"Don't get yourself killed." Rette told him.

"I should be saying that to you!" Natsu snapped.

"Not happening. I've fought too long to hold on to this life. I won't willingly let someone kill me, unless it was for a damn good reason. Right now, I'm not seeing any reason. Are you?" Rette asked.

"Hell no!" Natsu snapped.

"Good, then don't worry about it. I'm not going to let him kill me." Rette assured him.

"Then let's get this done." Gray added.

"Right...go!"

With the single word, the three broke apart. Rette charged for her father while Natsu and Gray went after Mard Geer. Thinking that his daughter was still going at it alone, Lachlan turned his full attention to her jumping up cliffs and making her follow. Though her wings were folded uselessly at her back, cutting her speed, she was still fast enough that if he didn't focus, she would get the drop on him. As it was, Rette was able to plant one clawed foot into his gut, knocking him back. Lachlan rolled, coming back to his feet, but Rette had jumped clear of his immediate area.

Thinking she was running from him, Lachlan went after her, but something catching the light and reflecting it back, caught his eye. He turned, looking down, just as Gray let loose an icy arrow made of his Devil Slaying magic. Lachlan only had time to utter a curse before it hit him full on in the chest. It went straight through him, crumpling him to the ground, where he lay, his eyes wide open and lifeless. Rette gave one cheer, jumping in the air.

The moment she landed, though, she felt it hit her hard. It was like the draining feeling she had felt earlier, only worse. She stumbled and fell to her knees, her world suddenly tipping on it's side. She pressed one hand to her face as her world continued to rock and sway.

"Rette!?" Gray called. "What's wrong?"

"I-I don't know. Its like all my energy is suddenly gone." Rette replied.

When she pulled her hand back, she found that her body had reverted back to it's human form. Her energy had fallen so much that she couldn't maintain the demon form, even if she wanted to. On the bright side, her back didn't hurt as much without the damaged wings weighting her down.

"It's a real bitch, isn't it?"

Rette's eyes widened a fraction before an arm wrapped around her neck, heaving her up off the ground.

"Rette!"

Rette twisted, turning to see who had grabbed her. Her eyes were wide open, her heart plummeting in her chest when she saw Lachlan looking back at her, a sadistic grin on his face as he looked back at her.

"But how...!? Gray hit you!" Rette managed to choke out.

"You should be dead!" Gray yelled.

Lachlan, one arm holding Rette off the ground, spread the other arm, grinning at Gray and Natsu. Taking hold of his shredded top, he pulled it open, revealing his chest as the last little bit of the hole Gray had opened there, sealed shut.

"Hate to break it to you, boy, but I'm harder than that to kill. In fact, you and your Devil Slayer magic, won't be able to hurt me...not as long as Amoreta, here, is alive and well." Lachlan said, patting Rette's head.

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked.

"See this?" Lachlan grabbed Rette's chin, forcing her head back to bare the black symbols that formed the seal around her neck. "This is actually two seals in one. One seals the demon in her, and the other...seals her life to me."

Rette's froze. It did what!? She had never heard anything about that. From the way he grinned at her, the knowledge that she had never guessed making his day, she knew he wasn't lying.

"See, Lord Zeref and I always knew that one day Amoreta would try to free herself by trying to kill me. So, while we sealed the demon in her, we sealed her life to me. As long as she lives, no matter what happens, I will always survive and heal. Its why, despite being killed twice today, I'm still here. It's also why she feels so drained." Lachlan explained. "Unfortunately for her, it's a one way deal, so she can still be killed."

Rette's eyes widened as the information sank in. Her father had linked her life to his. As long as she lived, so did he and as long as he lived, he would continue to torment and hurt others. It made it painfully clear that nothing she had done over the years, would have killed him. No matter how strong she got, no matter the magic she used, he would continue to live because she continued to live. It was no wonder he hadn't come for her during the seven years that the strongest members of her guild were gone. He had nothing to fear by letting her continue to get stronger. She could see this knowledge sink into the heads of Natsu, Gray, Sting and Rogue. The change in their expressions, even had Lachlan laughing.

"It actually works out for us, doesn't it, Mard?" Lachlan asked, Mard Geer simply nodding. "You see, when I found out that the ones that were interfering with us, was the so called guild that my idiotic daughter had joined...well, I was ecstatic! I knew that if you ridiculous humans cared, even just a bit, about her and her life, you would never have it in you to do what is necessary to kill me. In other words, to kill me...you have to kill her first."

Lachlan's insane laughter filled the air as he swung Rette around so that she was standing right in front of him. He wrapped one arm around her throat again, grabbing her chin with the free hand. He grinned at the boys as he pressed his cheek to hers.

"Tell me, boys...do any of you have what it takes to kill me?" Lachlan asked. "Because, if you can't kill me, kill her, then I'll make my way through your guilds, torturing and killing each and everyone of her so called friends."

That wasn't a threat...it was a promise.

Rette knew he would do exactly as he said because nothing would bring him more joy. She also knew, looking at each of her friends, that they would never be able to kill her in order to kill Lachlan and save their friends. None of them were the types to let down one friend, even if that risked everyone else. They cherished each and every friend far too much. Even if she would rather die to save the others, even if she begged them to kill her to spare the others, they wouldn't do it. Rette, though, would gladly give her life to save her friends...

Wait.

Rette's eyes widened as the true meaning behind Future Rogue's warning hit her full force in the chest. He had warned that she would let herself be killed. Rette, herself, had said that if she let herself be killed than it had to be for a reason.

For this reason.

Rette completely understood the warning then. Future Rogue hadn't been warning them to guard her against someone else.

He had been warning them to guard her against herself.

While it hurt her, to think of leaving her friends behind, while she knew they would cry and mourn, if it meant they would continue to live...she would, indeed, forfeit her life. Now that she understood the warning, she couldn't help the small laugh that left her. All eyes focused on Rette as a smile, the sweetest her friends had ever seen, curled her lips.

"I understand his warning now." she said softly.

"Rette?" Natsu called out, fear suddenly gnawing at his gut.

Rette looked at each of them in turn, already missing the friends she had held so dear, despite them being right in front of her. All four caught on to what she was thinking, just as she raised her left hand to her chest, placing the palm flat over where her heart rested. Just as the magic array appeared and the spell was released, Rette uttered two words before the beam of light sliced right through both hers and Lachlan's chests.

"I'm sorry."

Silence fell over the battlefield, her four friends watching in horror as, if in slow motion, Lachlan released Rette and the two fell from their perch, Rette hitting the ground below. All over the battlefield, Rette's guild mates and friends froze, each of them sensing the sudden vanishing of Rette's magical energy. Even in the control room, Thyme suddenly gasped, grasping at her chest with her tiny paws as the bond she shared with Rette, sudden snapped and dissolved.

"Thyme?" Mira asked, concerned.

"Rette..."

Thyme couldn't get the words to come to her mouth as tears filled her eyes, spilling down her fur covered cheeks. She didn't need to say it for her friends to know. They all stared in horror at Thyme as she sobbed, her heartbroken cries filling the room.

"N-no...it can't be..." Happy said lowly.

But there was no denying it. Thyme could always, without fail, sense Rette through their bond. If it was gone, if it had so suddenly snapped, there was only one real answer.

"Rette...is dead..."

END

Kyandi: Please don't kill me!

Thyme: ...

Kyandi: Are you mad at me, too?

Thyme...grrr...

Kyandi: I will take that as a yes. Everyone, please don't hate me. Believe me, the story isn't over just yet. I hope you all continue to enjoy and review. I will have another chapter ready as soon as possible. Maybe for my birthday, I'll be able to update another chapter, which means you'll have a new chapter in three days. Hopefully. Until then, please don't kill me! Bye!


	30. Back Again

Kyandi: Hey there everyone. I hope no one is still mad at me.

Thyme: ...

Kyandi: Well, I see at least one person is still mad.

Thyme: ...

Kyandi: Anyway...To answer the question being asked...yes, Rette is really dead. As for rather she will stay that way...well, you just have to read. So, before anyone takes the chance to try to take their frustration out on me, let's move on. Everyone, enjoy and review. I do not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 30 Back Again

"Rette? Rette!?"

Abandoning their fights, Natsu, Gray, Sting and Rogue, ran to Rette, Natsu getting there first. He fell to his knees beside her prone body, not even noticing the blood pooling on the ground, shining ruby red in the sunlight. He scooped up Rette's body, pulling her into his arms as the other three crowded around him.

"Rette? Come on, Rette, speak to me!" Natsu demanded.

With his free hand, he smacked her cheek lightly, but she didn't stir. Already, the warmth of her body was fading, her skin growing cold as the color quickly drained away with her blood. There was no breath coming from her lips, no beat of her destroyed heart. If the gaping hole in her chest where her heart was suppose to be, wasn't evidence enough, they no longer had any doubt in their minds.

Rette was dead.

It was a fact that soon reached everyone of her friends who could no longer sense her magical energy. Several cried out, others fought tears as they balled up their fists, and some stared at the ground in horror and disbelief. None of them had ever expected Rette to actually die, despite the warning from the future. She ahd always gotten hurt, sometimes more than everyone else, sometimes less, but she had always bounced back, as if nothing had every happened. Even when she didn't have enough magical energy to fight with, they could still sense her presence.

But now...none of them could sense even a speck of her energy left.

Natsu couldn't believe it anymore than Gray. Rette, the usually vibrant, vital girl they knew, lay dead in his arms, her body limp and lifeless. He couldn't force himself to release her, even knowing he still had a fight that needed to be fought. He gripped her tightly in his arms. It was then that he noticed something laying forgotten on the ground, not a foot from Rette. There, the strap broken, was the choker Rette always wore. Natsu reached out, snatching it off the ground.

The charm was unharmed, the fire trapped inside, flickering as he looked at it. Gripping it tightly in his hand, his grip on her tightened. Rette was his friend and it seemed as if it hadn't been that long ago when she had joined their guild.

And now...now she was gone.

Right before his eyes.

They now understood Rette's words, understood what it was that she had come to understand about the warning. Rogue silently bowed his head, laying a hand on his partner's shoulder as he grit his teeth. Gray cursed and punched the ground, while Natsu continued to stare at Rette's ghost white face.

Mard Geer, held out a hand when Jiemma started towards the four mourning mages. Jiemma stopped though he wasn't too happy about it.

"That is enough, Lachlan." Mard Geer called.

All four mages froze when a twisted sort of laughter suddenly filled the air.

"Heh...who would have thought. Amoreta had always been more of a self centered person." All four turned looks of mixed shock and anger on Lachlan as the man got to his feet, laughing to himself as he stood, one hand pressed to the slowly healing hole in his chest. "She only ever cared about her own survival. Didn't cross my mind once, even with all her talk, that she would give her life to protect someone else."

"How!?" Natsu snapped. "How are you still alive!?"

"Why are you still here when Rette..." Sting couldn't finish that sentence.

Lachlan only laughed harder. He was finally back on his feet, running a hand through his hair as he glanced at his daughter.

"I'll give her one thing...she's become stronger, but I'm a demon. It might have been a righteous act she preformed, but her aim was off and she missed a vital hit." Lachlan said, spreading his arms. "Amoreta, no matter how hard she tried, was, and will always be, nothing more than a colossal failure. Even in death, she couldn't do anything! It was her own stupidity that killed her. Had she ran away and forsaken you, which is about all she's good for, then she might have lived a little longer. Amoreta-"

" _ **Rette! Her name is Rette!**_ "

This dark snap came from Natsu. Lachlan snickered at the dark look on Natsu's face. His cold magenta eyes flashed with a sense of ruthlessness and cold insanity as he grinned. It hurt them to see him look at them with that kind of look in eyes almost exactly like Rette's.

"Ah, yes. That ridiculous nickname her mother gave her. Turned out that they were more alike than I thought. Same stubbornness, same refusal to obey, and the same asinine sense of devotion to humans. Neither could just do as they were told. Lord Zeref blessed her with the name Amoreta, the day she was born and her idiotic mother insisted on calling her Rette. Oh, what was her name again...? Ah! Irini Starrilia. Took on her mother's name in the end, it seems." Lachlan remarked.

Irini Starrilia.

Rette had once said that her full name was Rette Irini Starrilia. Now they knew it was just a mix of her mother's name and the nickname her mother had given her. Even not knowing her mother, Rette had tried to honor her.

"Irini didn't like the name Amoreta. She wanted to call the girl Rette. I knew the moment she first held the girl that Irini had become emotionally attached. Did you know that Irini died with Amoreta in her arms? She tried to steal Amoreta from me. The foolish woman! Died in vain and in the most pain I could give her. I made sure Amoreta knew the story growing up, too. Thought it might deter her from repeating her mother's mistake, but no. She, too, defied me and died for some ridiculous notion of love."

Lachlan gave a demented laugh, laughing at all the plight his daughter had faced in life. Natsu's grip on Rette's body grew tighter. This man, the man that was suppose to be her greatest protector, the one who was suppose to love her unconditionally, had been her biggest tormentor. He had made her life a living hell, casting her into nightmares and darkness from the day she was born. That Rette had managed to have any conpacity to love at all, was amazing in and of itself.

But love she had.

She had loved her friends, her guild, her family, enough that she had given everything for them. Had given everything to save them from the very man who had haunted her very steps her whole life. Right to the very end, she had loved them enough that she hadn't thought twice about which was more important, her life or their's.

Natsu and her friends would kill this man for what he had done to Rette. She had deserved so much more than this man had ever given her. So much more than life had given her at birth. She had deserved a life of love and laughter and had gotten a life plagued with nightmares and constant fear and darkness. The mere thought brought more tears to his eyes.

If only they could have her back.

They would never let her be alone in her secrets, ever again.

-0-0-0-0-

 _So many tears_...

Viewing the world from above, invisible to the eyes of her guild mates, Rette watched her friends cry. She watched Natsu hug her lifeless body as he, Rogue, Sting, and Gray mourned her. She watched as Thyme cried her heart out, letting Lily hug her as the other exceeds, Mira, and Erza cried silently. She even watched as Makarov, detached from the battle in order to prep Lumen Histoire, shed tears for her.

She watched as the people who had become all the family she had in the world, cried out in heartache.

It broke the last, tattered remains of her heart. She had thought that, yes, they would cry, but at least they would be alive and safe. But this? She had never expected to find someone in the life given to her, that would cry so earnestly for her. Even as nothing more than a spirit floating above the world, Rette felt like someone was stepping on her chest. It hurt so much, knowing that she was the one that had made her friends cry so.

She hadn't wanted this.

She didn't want to leave them too heartbroken to defend themselves. She didn't want them to blame themselves, or mourn her. Rette was sure she wasn't worth it. Yet, cry they did. And there was no going back. Her choice had been made and there was no changing it now.

"Such wonderful friends you have."

Rette, out of surprise, turned. In the course of the turn, the world around her turned from the battlefield her friends still fought on, to a field of wildflowers where the sun shine so lovely over the world. Rette looked around her, surprised and in awe of the simple beauty of the field.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Rette's head turned to the side as a young woman stepped up beside her. For a moment, she thought she was looking into a mirror. The woman smiling gently back at her, looked exactly like her, except for two things. Where Rette's hair was chopped off just above shoulder length, the woman's silver hair fell clear down her waist. But that wasn't all. Staring back at Rette wasn't a pair of magenta eyes edged in lavender. These eyes were a pure, beautiful, lavender.

Rette knew who she was instantly.

"Mother?"

The woman smiled brightly, turning to fully face Rette. Reaching out, she took Rette's hands in hers. Rette was surprised to feel warmth surround her cold fingers.

"Look at you...so grown up, so beautiful. I knew from the very first moment I held you in my arms, that you would be so pretty." she told Rette.

Rette couldn't believe it. Standing before her was Irini Starrilia, the very woman who had given birth to her. She had thought she would never get a chance to see Irini for herself. Of course, it took dying for her finally get to see her.

"You...You're really my mother?" Rette asked.

"Yes, I am." Irini laughed softly at the look on Rette's face, reaching up to press one hand to Rette's cheek. "Why are you so surprised? I have always been there with you, my dear daughter, watching you as you fought to make a place in the world. I never left you for even a second."

"You didn't? Why not?" Rette asked.

"Such a silly question. You, my dear Rette, are my precious daughter."

"But, I...I thought..."

"You thought I would hate you, did you not?" Irini asked.

Rette nodded silently, unable to speak the words she had thought for as long as she could remember. After all, Lachlan had killed Irini because of her, he had forced Irini to have her.

"I suppose Lachlan told you that." When Rette nodded again, Irini shook her head. "Oh, your father really just...he was so charming when I first met him, had me completely fooled. But I am digressing."

Irini let go of Rette's hand, placing both of her hands on Rette's cheeks. She leaned forward, placing her forehead on Rette's. The smile on her face was so sweet, so kind that Rette couldn't deny it was genuine.

"Rette, no matter what Lachlan did or has said, from the very first time I felt you kick in my belly, I have loved you more fiercely than life."

She...loved her.

Rette could have cried in that moment. The one thing she had sought from Lachlan her whole childhood, she now found so easily in the very woman who should of had a reason to hate her, who should have rejected her. Irini laughed softly, her thumb rubbing at Rette's cheeks.

"It is not something to get teary eyed about. I am your mother. Lachlan might have tricked me, but I chose to keep you, to carry you and bring you into this world, all with the hopes of getting you away from the world Lachlan had trapped the both of us in. I am sorry that I failed at keeping you safe, as a mother should." Irini told her.

Rette latched onto Irini's wrist then, shaking her head fiercely.

"It's not your fault." Rette said firmly.

"And nor is it your's. Rette, as your parents, we should have protected you. I had no way of knowing what Lachlan was before he revealed himself and when I tried to take you away...well, I just was not fast enough. I am so sorry you had to live the life you did, but look at you!" Irini said, stepping back to look down at Rette with a smile. "I could not be any prouder of the strong, kind, and hopeful woman you have grown into."

It was everything Rette had always wanted to hear, just once. To know that at least one of her parents had loved her and was proud of her...Rette felt like several weights had been taken off her shoulders.

"Only one thing has ever upset me when I watched you." Irini said.

"What?"

Irini studied Rette's face, one hand sweeping her hair out of her eyes.

"You have tried to close yourself off from others and the world. You have let fear of losing another, fear of them knowing what you are, and the fear of rejection keep you from realizing that there are so many people around you, that love you for exactly who you are. You have kept them all at a distance and all that is doing, is hurting you. My dear, beloved daughter, you are so much more than you believe yourself to be. You just need to open your eyes and see it for yourself." Irini told her.

"It doesn't matter now. I'm dead."

Irini's smile, this time, was slow with a hint of mischievous to it. Leaning back on her heels, she gave her daughter a wink.

"You just leave that to me. You did not get your inclination towards Light of Creation magic from your father and there are several of those spells that you do not know yet."

With that, Irini vanished. Rette turned on the spot, looking around her, trying to locate the woman.

"Mother!? Mother, where did you go?" Rette called.

Laughter drifted to her on the wind that suddenly breezed through the flowery field. Rette had to pin her hair against her head to keep it out of her eyes.

"Just wait there, my dear. I will be back."

The wind died out, leaving Rette alone in the field. Rette heaved a sigh and dropped to sit among the flowers. Staring up at the blue sky above, Rette could only think one thing.

"Who knew I had such a playful mother?"

-0-0-0-0-

"What are we going to do?"

Rogue asked the question that his current comrades didn't want to answer. They all four knew there was still a fight to fight, but they couldn't just leave Rette like that. Even if she was gone already. A light, airy laugh reached their ears then, playing on the wind as it blew across the area. Everyone, even Lachlan, Jiemma, and Mard Geer, look up at as it played like bells. It even carried to the other members of Fairy Tail.

" _Don't worry, young ones._ "

Natsu, Gray, Rogue, and Sting's eyes widened as the voice sounded. It was similar to Rette's, though more mature and far more cheerful than Rette's had ever been. They looked around, but there was no one there and they knew it hadn't been Rette. Natsu's hand growing warm, had his raising it to peer at Rette's choker clasped there. The charm was glowing, the internal flame shimmering and flickering brighter.

"Was that...the charm?" Rogue asked.

" _That is right, young one! Do not cry, do not worry. Any of you. Have faith and you will be rewarded._ "

The voice played across the battle field, reaching each and every one of Rette's friends. With it, came a relaxing presence that soothed all tears from her friends' eyes. Even Thyme's cries tapered off as she looked around trying to locate the speaker.

"Who are you?" Natsu asked.

Another laugh rang in the air, soft and sweet.

" _Just someone who has loved Rette from the very first kick in the womb._ " replied the woman.

"You mean..." Across the battle field, Lucy trailed off.

"You're her mother." Makarov finished from his spot away from the battle.

" _That is right. Thank you so much for the love and devotion you have showed my daughter, all of you. How much you care is not lost on her, or me._ "

Suddenly, to their surprise, images begun to play in all of their heads as feelings that wasn't their's, washed over them all. Closing their eyes, they could all see events from the time Rette joined Fairy Tail, play behind their eye lids. All of it played out from Rette's point of view, her feelings filling them as keenly as if they were their own.

From the confusion and awkwardness when she first woke up in the infirmary of the Fairy Tail guild hall, to the slowly developing feelings of friendship, affection, and love she felt increase with each battle she fought with her friends. Even a brief flashing of the events with Yuri, playing, letting them feel the intense and almost instant love she had felt for the child...and the increasing love she felt for Laxus.

Individual moments with different people, flashed in their minds. A dinner with Mira, Lisanna, and Elfman that left them feeling the deep sibling love Rette had fostered for them, a moment in the guild hall, sitting around a table with her female friends, and the affection she held so dearly for each of them. A memory of Rette sitting at the bar and listening to one of Makarov's stories that had them feeling the strong father/daughter bond she had developed for the old man. Even a memory of Rette breaking up a fight between Natsu and Gray that had them feeling Rette's sisterly frustration at having to break up yet another fight between two guys who had become like brothers to her.

Seeing and feeling how she had saw and felt about each of them, brought more tears to her friends' eyes. Despite her inability to express her feelings, Rette had cared just as deeply as the rest of them. There were even feelings and thoughts that Rette had managed to keep from Thyme. The next memory to play, was that of Rette sitting on the cliff side her house was perched on, watching the guild hall below by herself. In the memory, she was talking, as if she was talking her mother's spirit. Kind of like Lucy did with her letters to her mother.

" _It surprises me, Mother. They're a funny bunch. Weirder than any I've ever met and that's coming from someone raised in the Compound and by dragons. But...it's not a bad thing. I like them, honestly. Even broken as I am, even unable to express myself, to be honest with them, they've accepted me. Even with Thyme with me, with all the people in the world around me, I've always felt like I've been alone from the start, but here...I almost feel like I can forget the past and just belong._ "

In the memory, Rette heaved a sigh, her eyes closing for a moment as an image of Lachlan, minus the scars, flashed through her mind. They could almost feel the shiver that had run down her spine in the memory.

" _You know Father, though. He might be leaving me to my own devices for now, but he won't leave me alone forever. One day, he'll come back for me and I'll have to pay for what I've done. It'll be better for all if they don't know the real me, if they don't get too far in. At least then, when I have to leave, they won't dwell. This won't last forever, but even then...I can't regret a single day in this guild, Mother. When I'm forced to go, I'll miss them more than anything else in this life. They are probably the only piece of heaven I'll ever see. They have made this nightmare of a life, worth living. For them, there really is nothing I wouldn't do._ "

They could feel the truth behind Rette's words as she spoke, spilling her honest thoughts to the air. Through her eyes, they could see as she scanned the guild hall, watching as people left for the night, talking and laughing.

" _I honestly love them all and despite me not being a perfect person, or even a half way decent one, they love me.. My point in telling you this, Mother, is because I just wanted to let you know that I've found a reason for me try to live this life to the fullest, a reason to smile and laugh, a reason to continue hoping for a better tomorrow. I've found a reason to exist and that reason is them. I won't let Father hurt them like he has so many before. I would rather die then allow such a thing because they deserve so much better than a person like me could ever give them and my life is the least I could give them._ " Rette gave a curt laugh. " _If these fits keep increasing, giving my life won't be so far off. They're slowly killing me. Perhaps that would be a good thing. End things before they get too deep. But still...it hurts to think of leaving them, Mother. Maybe one day, just maybe, I'll be able to tell them how much they mean to me. Maybe._ "

The memory faded, leaving Rette's friends lost for words. Rette, long before the warning from Future Rogue, had planned to trade her life to save them all from her father. She had deemed her life so insignificant when compared to that of her friends. All the while, she had been hiding that slowly and surely, she was dying.

And none of them had even guessed.

" _My daughter never was one to make others worry for her. She has been bound to this life by what her father has done to her and she refused to let any of you be effected by it. There is no doubt in my mind that she loves you all just as dearly as I love her. Because of all of you, she does not have to face this life alone and for that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are her family and you love her like such. For that, I will do the only thing left that I can. I will return my daughter to you all._ " Surprise spread through them all, but so did joy. Joy at the thought of having Rette back, safe and alive. The voice sounded louder in Natsu's head this time. " _Place the charm in her choker, on her chest and I will handle the rest_."

Natsu turned his eyes to the charm. He cast a glance to Rogue, Sting, and Gray, who nodded. The voice, Rette's mother, had told them to have faith and they would be rewarded. Anything for Rette. He laid Rette flat on the ground, placing the choker on her chest as requested.

" _Very good. Do me a favor...do not let her be so reckless anymore._ " Irini said, before her attention shifted to Makarov, her voice sounding louder in his ears, though it still reached all of the others. " _Please, I just beg one thing of you...give her the love I could not._ "

Across the battle field, Natsu, Sting, Gray, and Rogue, shielded their eyes as the stone in Rette's choker, shined brighter, the light growing brighter and brighter until it was blinding to all near it. It pulsed before the flames inside the stone seeped into Rette's chest. Light spilled through Rette's veins as the stone went dark and dull. It filled Rette from head to toe, making her skin glow. Before their eyes, the hole in her chest closed and vanished, but it didn't stop there. As they watched, the scar on her stomach faded and vanished, the brands on her hands and the scar around one ankle, doing the same.

Only when it was all gone, her skin as unmarked as the day she was born, did the light fade away. They waited with baited breath, the seconds ticking away. And then...

Rette gasped, sucking in a breath, her eyes flying open. She jolted up, coughing as her lungs fought to pull in air. Natsu caught her in his arms and her arms instantly wrapped around him as she gasped in more and more air.

She was alive!

Rette was alive!

Her four friends cried in joy as she clung to Sting, trying to calm her breathing. Her eyes were wide open, surprise and disbelief coloring them. Even Lachlan was shocked speechless, Mard Geer silently surprised. She had been dead and now, not only was she alive, but ever scar Lachlan had managed to leave on her, was gone.

"You're alive!" Sting exclaimed.

"Yeah...I'm never doing that again." Rette declared, sinking against Natsu's chest in relief.

"You better not!" Natsu snapped at her.

Rette gave him a look of warning about yelling in her ear and Natsu look away from her.

"But what happened? Was that really your mother we heard?" Gray asked.

Rette opened her mouth to answer but was cut off.

"The one and the only."

All five of them whipped around, finding a ghostly figure standing there in a gown made of light. All four of Rette's friends, couldn't keep their mouths from dropping open as they looked from Rette to the ghostly figure. The two looked so much alike.

"Mother." Rette said softly.

"Rette, my dear daughter, you are where you belong. It was not time for you to come to me. Not yet." Irini told her daughter.

Rette nodded, not trusting her voice. For some reason, her emotions seemed stronger now and it was all she could do to keep her voice level and calm.

"Irini." The growl came from Lachlan, making Irini, Rette, and her friends, look at him. "I should have known that even death wouldn't keep you from interfering."

"Of course not. She is my daughter, Lachlan. You do not deserve her." Irini replied.

Turning, Irini dropped to her knees in front of Rette and Natsu. Reaching out, she cupped Rette's face and leaned forward, whispering in her daughter's ear. Her voice was pitched so lowly that even Natsu couldn't hear what she had said. When she pulled back, she smiled at Rette.

"You show Lachlan what Starrilia women are capable of and know that no matter where you go and no matter what you, I am always there and I am always proud." Irini told Rette. "Now...take care of your friends. Do not leave them again."

Irini leaned in, one last time, whispering, "I love you, my daughter", before giving her a kiss on the forehead. With that, Irini vanished. For a moment, all they could do was stare at the spot where she had been. Rette couldn't help the sinking, but happy feeling that settled in her chest. While she wouldn't be able to see her mother again while living, she now knew that her mother loved her. That was enough for her.

Rette was just glad to be back with her friends. Now they could stop crying. She had realized something in her few minutes of out-of-body experience...she never wanted to be the cause of her friends' sadness again. Never again. She would have to apologize to all of them.

"Are you going to let go now?" Natsu asked as he looked down at her.

"No. I just died, give me a moment." Rette retorted.

While the comment had Natsu grumbling under his breath, it had her other three friends chuckling. Natsu wouldn't of had an issue comforting a friend...at any other time. Right now, they still had a fight to finish. Clapping reached their ears then, making them all turn to look at Lachlan. While there was a grin twisting his lips, his eyes were hard and cold. Natsu felt Rette stiffen in his arms.

"Bravo, what a show. To think Irini had such a trick up her sleeve. That woman always did drive me up the wall." Lachlan drawled darkly, his anger showing despite his grin. "And you have grown up to be the same way."

Natsu tightened his arms around Rette before slipped an arm under her knees and raising to his feet. He held her close to his chest, settling her in his arms.

"I'm going to get Rette away from here." Natsu told the others.

"No, Natsu. Set me down. I'm a grown woman, I'll fight."

Her friends looked down at Rette as she spoke firmly. Despite the cold sweat that had broken out on her body, her eyes were set in determination as she looked at Lachlan.

"Are you sure?" Gray asked.

"This is my fight, he started it with me, so I'll end it. I'm not going to let any of you get hurt fighting my fight for me." Rette replied. "Besides...it's a bit embarrassing, at my age, to allow someone younger to carry me around like this."

Natsu looked at the others, silently questioning what they thought. Gray grinned, Rogue and Sting nodding in agreement. Rette was a fairy through and through, alright. She wouldn't give up, even when it scared her to death. Natsu knew that all too well. Though he really didn't want to, though he really wanted to put her somewhere safe and leave her there, he sat her on her feet.

"You better not die again." he told her.

Rette press a hand to his chest, turning her head to look up into his eyes. She gave him a smile then. Not one of the half smiles she had always given him. This was a full blown smile, given easily.

"I won't make my friends cry again." she promised.

Turning, she locked her eyes on Lachlan. She was done and tired of pretenses and hiding and holding onto things that only seemed to drag her down. So, while she might never know why they left, she was more than ready to move past the grudge she had held on her dragons. If she was going to beat Lachlan, she needed every spell and trick in her arsenal.

That included her trump card.

"The four of you might want to take a step back." she advised.

Without questioning her, the four took three giant steps away from Rette. They didn't know what she was up to, but they had a feeling that doing what she said was probably in their best interest. Drawing in a deep breath, Rette reached deep, diving into her Second Origin.

She would show her father what the child of dragons could do.

The burst of power that exploded out from Rette, swept over her friends, fierce and strong. Crystals begun to sprout from the ground around her feet, ice coating them in a layer of frost. Before their eyes, Rette under went a transformation they had thought her incapable of making, but the moment they saw the scales spreading over her skin, they knew what it was.

Dragon Force.

Scale of a shining silver spread up over Rette's cheeks and down her arms and legs. Claws, like those of a dragon, took place of her hands and feet, small wings coated equally in ice and crystal, sprouting from her back. Even a dragon-like tail sprouted from the base of her spine as her incisors sharpened into visible fangs.

Rette's Dragon Force had her looking more like a dragon than any of them. Perhaps that was because of the fact that she had had two dragons and had the magic of them both, so the magic effected her more than it did them.

"You can use Dragon Force!?" Natsu gasped.

"Of course I can. I am a Dragon Slayer." Rette replied. "Just because I never used it before, doesn't mean I can't."

"But it's so much more..." Rogue trailed off.

"Dragon-like? Yeah, I noticed that. It's probably due to having two types of Dragon Slayer magics. I never got the chance to ask Tundron and Chrysalis." Rette said.

Now that they knew, the other Dragon Slayers present couldn't help but wonder how Rette handled it. Demon and dragon, all wrapped up in one. Then again, it was Rette who had a knack for balancing and combining magics of all sorts.

"But it's not important." Rette said. "Let's finish what we started."

With that, Rette dropped to her knees, her eyes going to the skies above. She could still sense Igneel and Acnologia somewhere above her head. As long as Acnologia was there, she might as well make use of him and help out her comrade Dragon Slayers and dragon. She dug her clawed fingers into the ground.

"Twin Dragon Slayer Secret Arts...Territory of the Twin Dragons!"

A large magic circle that was a swirl of ice blue and purple in color, appeared in the sky over them, spreading to cover the area. Crystal and ice shot from the ground forming four pillars at the edges of the circle, making Lachlan, Mard Geer, and Jiemma look around. A top of the pillars sat statues of dragons. The pillars marked four, evenly spaced points at the edges of the wide magic circle and once they were fully formed, their eyes glowed the same color as Rette's eyes, Rette eyes flashing the same way, showing that the pillars were connected to her.

Taking a deep breath, Rette leaned her head back, opened her mouth, and let out the loudest, most dragon-like cry. The cry even reached Igneel and Acnologia above, the two dragons pausing as they heard it. Igneel looked towards the ground, a break in the clouds, showing them Rette below.

"A Queen's Cry. She truly is all Chrysalis and Tundron said her to be." Igneel remarked, amused.

Acnologia, on the other hand, was not so amused. Already, he could feel his energy, his magic, draining, transferring to Rette, who then sent it out to each of the Dragons Slayers on the battle field and Igneel.

Below, Natsu, Sting, and Rogue felt an increase in their magic, their energy returning to drive away their fatigue. Rette slowly rose to her feet, glancing over her shoulder at her friends.

"Sorry I can't restore your magic too, Gray." she told him.

"Don't worry about me. I'm good enough." he assured her.

Rette nodded and turned back to look towards her father. No, towards Lachlan. He wasn't her father, no matter the blood ties and now...now she was going to prove that he had no more hold on her life. It was time to end this and return to her family. Her real family.

"Let's go." she declared.

With renewed vigor, the five of them charged into the fight once more. All over the battle field, the return of Rette's magic energy, sparked a new burst of energy in all of her friends. Just as Rette went into her fight with firm resolve, her friends did too. Rette hit Lachlan hard, her dragon claws slashing across his chest with an amount of force that surprised him. With a grunt, he jumped back, five deep gashes opened across his chest.

Rette refused to let up, just continued her attacks. Her friends did the same, continuing their own fights. With their energy returned and a firm resolve in their hearts to take Minerva back home and see Rette and her guild whole and together again, Sting and Rogue quickly put an end to their fight, finishing Jiemma, even though it wiped them of what energy Rette had been able to restore to them. Collapsing to the ground, they left the rest to Rette, Natsu, and Gray.

While Rette clashed with her father, Gray and Natsu were busy, having their heads dragged along the ground by Mard Geer. They quickly turned the tide, attacking Mard Geer as a team. Mard Geer took the damage, but bounced back, launching a counter attack. Back and forth they went, trading off blows and destroying the general area. Mard Geer declared himself thoroughly entertained.

"A long time ago," Mard Geer said, staring at Gray and Natsu. "magic was born as one. Eventually, it developed into many different kinds of magic. Historically, END created a new possibility for magic. Curses. The source of their power are actual "curses". Hatred...envy...grudges. Or in the case of Lachlan's daughter...tribulation. All negative feelings make them stronger. They are based on the nature of life. Even Lachlan's daughter can't escape that."

"Who cares! Then magic will create the future!" Natsu declared.

"Magic has no future. Curses are superior in all aspects." Mard Geer insisted.

With that declaration, Mard Geer used his ultimate curse, The Memory of Death, to try to completely destroy Natsu and Gray. The sheer feeling of the curse, made the hair on the back of Rette's neck stand on end, but she knew, before they revealed themselves, that Natsu and Gray were just fine. Thinking that he had destroyed them for good, Mard Geer returned to his human form. To his rude awakening, Natsu and Gray burst free of the ground, for the most part unharmed thanks to Gray's new magic.

This, however, took the last of Gray's magic, leaving the fight to Natsu. Angry at the fall of his comrade, Natsu hit Mard Geer with all he had and when it looked like he was out of juice and Mard Geer would win, he revealed that Gray wasn't done for just yet. He had set Mard Geer up, giving Gray the opening he needed. One hit was all it took to bring Mard Geer down for good, leaving him laying on the ground, unable to move.

All that was left, was Rette's fight.

Rette had her father pinned, landing one hit after another, driving him back. Just when she was sure she might be able to land a final blow, she suddenly felt the magic in the air around her began to thin. Gritting her teeth, Rette staggered back, her Dragon Force form faltering before vanishing, leaving her in her human form. Only her demon half kept her standing while all the other mages began to weaken. Rette instant backed off from her father, retreating to Gray and Natsu. Lachlan followed, standing off to the side to watch with a grin on his face.

Rette knew what was going on without being told.

"This is only the beginning. The disappearance of magic will eventually become "emptiness" and END shall resurrect, feeding off of that energy." Mard Geer said from where he lay. "And when the strongest Etherious rises, you humans will no longer have the defense you call magic."

"This is your last chance, Amoreta. Join me, or die with these humans." Lachlan called.

Rette's eyes flickered upwards for a moment before returning to her father.

"Shove it where the sun don't shine." she told him.

Lachlan growled before taking a single step forward. A grin spread across Rette's face, just before both Igneel and Acnologia fell from the sky, landing where Lachlan had been standing. Rette cursed when it was revealed that Lachlan had escaped being crushed.

"Damn. I was hoping they would crush him." Rette muttered.

Igneel, with Acnologia pinned under his clawed feet, rose his head, rising his voice.

"Don't give up, humans!"

A cry from the sky, had all of them looking up. A magic so familiar to Rette as her own, settled over Rette's sense, making her eyes widened. It couldn't be...it just couldn't.

"Tundron...Chrysalis..."

The names left Rette in a whisper. Part of her screamed that it couldn't be possible, but she knew the magic that washed over her, she knew it was them. It made her heart pound faster in her chest at the thought of getting to see them again.

"The dragons that you've freed are dancing in the skies of Ishgar." Igneel declared.

Bit by bit, Rette could fell the vanishing of the negating effect of Face, her magic returning. With it's return, she could feel her dragons' magic more clearly, as well as that of four other dragons she was sure she had never sensed before, despite their magic ringing a familiar bell in her.

"We've stopped END's resurrection." Igneel declared.

"Weisslogia's still alive?" Sting asked in shock.

"So is Skiadrum, Tundron, Chrysalis, Metalicana, and Grandeeney. We've all been inside you Dragon Slayers. Or more like, we've been asleep inside you due to a sealing spell." Igneel explained.

"And...the trigger was that throbbing we felt just now?" Rogue asked.

Rette felt her knees wobble before they gave, causing her to sink to the ground. She couldn't believe it. Tundron and Chrysalis were alive and had been hiding inside her for all this time.

"Oh yeah! I didn't hear about that, y'know! Why the hell were you in me! I don't remember eating you!" Natsu yelled.

"There were reasons for that. The first would be so that we could stop you Dragon Slayers from transforming into dragons like Acnologia. And the second-"

Igneel was cut off as Acnologia suddenly surged up, knocking Igneel off. Igneel promised that they would talk after he dealt with Acnologia and took off into the skies, yelling for Natsu to get the book of END. Rette still had her own fight to fight. Her attention was split though, was Natsu and Gray started fighting over the book. Gray wanted to destroy it, right then and there, while Natsu had promised to take it back to Igneel. Sting and Rogue tried to get them to cut it out, but before Rette could add her two jewel worth, the book vanished.

A new, but familiar magic suddenly washed over Rette, making her whip around as a voice spoke.

"This book belongs to me." All of them turned, Lachlan turning with a big grin on his face. "So I'm taking it back. It's really important, you know."

There, standing before them with the book in his hand, was Zeref. Lachlan greeted Zeref cheerfully and brightly. Zeref nodded to his faithful follower, his eyes scanning the others while a small smile fell on his face.

"Zeref..." Rette whispered as the man came towards them.

"Mard Geer, you did well. You were just about to revive END. You can sleep now." Zeref told the defeated demon.

Mard Geer, just as well as Lachlan and Rette did, knew exactly what Zeref meant. He tried to insist that he could fulfill Zeref's wish, but with a simple, "You can't." Zeref returned Mard Geer to his book and set the book on fire, destroying it and the demon, himself.

"You...! You created that demon!" Gray snapped.

"Yes. But I don't need it anymore." Zeref replied.

Gray took a step forward, but Rette caught his pants leg, pulling him to a stop. When Gray looked back at her wide eyed expression, she shook her head.

"Don't. You don't know him. Once he makes up his mind, there's no changing it." Rette warned him.

"It's been a long time, Amoreta. I'm glad to see you still remember me so clearly."

Rette's eyes went to Zeref as he spoke. He was smiling at her, but she had no doubt in her mind that he was not pleased with her. Lachlan looked from her to Zeref.

"I was just about to finish things with her, Lord Zeref." Lachlan said.

"No. Just leave her be for now, Lachlan." Zeref ordered.

If it had been anyone else other than Zeref, Lachlan would have argued, but all he did was cast one more look at Rette before nodding. Zeref turned his attention to Natsu then.

"I wanted to finish my fight against you today. However, Acnologia got in our way. Will he end history once again? Or will a miracle happen? I'm not sure." Zeref remarked.

"What are you saying?" Natsu asked.

"If you can survive this desperate situation...I will give you more despair." Zeref promised, turning to leave. Before he did, his eyes focused on Rette. "Amoreta...I look forward to our next meeting. We have a lot to catch up on."

With that, he turned, calling for Lachlan to come. Lachlan gave Rette a grin before turning to join his lord. In the blink of an eye, the two vanished. Only when Rette could no longer feel their energies, did she begin to relax, the long fight finally catching up with her.

"That bastard...he took the book with him." Gray growled.

Natsu took off then, going to help Igneel in his fight against Acnologia. Rette would have gone with him, but the trauma of her death, the exhaustion of the long fight, all of it finally caught up to her, making her body feel like jelly. She did feel, however, when Igneel's magic energy vanished, signalling his death at the claws of Acnologia.

With Igneel's death, Acnologia left. Rette, Gray, Sting and Rogue relocated to where all of their friends were. There they found their dragons waiting. Rette couldn't help but stare as the looked over the familiar, elegant, crystal covered form of Chrysalis and the craggy, muscled, icy form of Tundron with the spikes on his back that she remembered being hung from more times than she could count. Both gave her their dragon version of smiles when they saw her.

"Igneel, together with the bravery of all of you, has driven away Acnologia." Grandeeney said. "You did well trying to destroy Face, Wendy."

"It's because Carla was with me." Wendy replied, wiping tears from her eyes.

"As always, you've got that vile look in your eyes." Metalicana told Gajeel.

"Shut it!" Gajeel snapped back.

"I'm pretty sure I killed you." Sting told his dragon.

"I also am quite certain I saw you die, Skiadrum." Rogue added.

"We can alter human memories essentially at will." Weisslogia replied.

"Igneel was against use doing so, though. Ultimately, what we intended to do was grant you Dragon Slayers both the memory of killing us and the results you would achieve had you actually done so." Skiadrum added.

"Even so...to call us "dead" would only be half incorrect." Weisslogia said.

"What do you mean?" Rette asked, stepping up to join the other Dragon Slayers.

"Rette, my dear," Chrysalis said, her voice soft. "...we are already dead."

"Really?" Wendy asked.

"A very long time ago, our souls were extracted from us by Acnologia's Dragon Slayer magic." Grandeeney said. "That is why, in addition to the two objectives of stopping your dragonification and defeating Acnologia, the reason we remained inside your bodies was to prolong our own lives."

"Once we leave your bodies, we are unable to return to them. The strength we displayed today we did so for both the first and last time. This is yet another reason we did not show ourselves till now." Skiadrum added.

" Even Igneel was unable to defeat Acnologia. Then again, Igneel only had what little strength he managed to retain in his half-dead state. O humans, please, permit not Igneel's name to suffer blemish." Metalicana asked.

"There was never a dragon as gallant, nor any as human-loving as Igneel." Tundron agreed.

"We have not had the chance to tell you everything but, alas, the time has come. The time for us to part." Grandeeney said.

"No..." Wendy cried.

"There will be many hardships in the future to come, but I am confident you all will overcome them." Grandeeny told Wendy.

"No, don't go...don't go, Grandeeney." Wendy pleaded.

Gajeel laid a hand on her head then, patting her head.

"Let's send them off with our head held high." Gajeel told her.

Tundron and Chrysalis focused in on their adopted daughter then. Rette was staring at the ground, unable to raise her head and meet their eyes.

"Raise your head, child, and speak to us. Just one last time." Chrysalis asked.

Rette raised her head, her eyes landing on them as she swallowed hard.

"Tundron...Chrysalis...I..." Rette cut off, as she looked at her dragons watching her fondly. It had been so long sine she had seen them. She had been afraid she would forget what they looked like before she would ever see them again and now she found out...they had been with her the whole time. She had been so wrong about them. "I...I thought..."

"We know what you thought, little one." Chrysalis said softly.

"We have been with you through these long years, watching the world through your eyes. We know every time you cursed us for abandoning you and every time you cursed this world around you." Tundron added.

Rette's eyes instantly fell to the ground, humiliation and shame burning through her as she realized that, while she had been cursing them for breaking their promise to her, they had been keeping it, staying with her through thick and thin without her even knowing it. She felt like a fool for having ever doubted them. Knowing their human child as they did, Chrysalis and Tundron shared a look before Chrysalis reached out one claw, gently tilting Rette's face up.

"Look at us, child." she told her.

"I'm sorry. I...I doubted your promise." Rette said lowly.

"We knew, from the moment we first laid eyes on your eyes, what we were getting ourselves into. Such a dead gaze you had, unable to see anything to live for, yet such a fierce hope that everything would turn out alright anyway. We knew, the moment we vanished, that you would doubt us, curse us, even hate us. That was what you had come to expect of the world and all who dwell in it." Tundron told her.

"But we did it for your future, for you. Rette, child, you needed so much more than we could give. You have been unable to see anything but the ground in this world that has left you cold inside, for far too long. You've been beaten, bruised, and broken, have felt pain instead of the love you deserved and had come to expect nothing else from the world. You are so much more than your human father has made you. You just hadn't been able to realize it." Chrysalis told her.

"You gave us life and meaning. More importantly...you gave us hope. If someone as beaten as you, someone who came to us as a shell of a person, can still have so much hope for the world, then there had to be hope for the human race yet." Tundron added.

"We love you so much, Rette, that we knew you needed to learn to trust humans again. And look at you now. So loved, and loved so dearly. It seems like, in a blink of an eye, you've grown up into a respected, beautiful young woman." Chrysalis remarked, one claw rubbing gently against Rette's cheek.

"We hated to leave you and we hate to leave again, but you're grown now and so strong. You don't need us to shelter you anymore." Tundron insisted.

Rette bit her bottom lip, her eyes burning with tears she had not been able to shed in a long time. To her surprise, she felt something warm slide down her cheek, her vision blurring. With a rumble of a chuckle, Tundron reached out, wiping one large knuckle across her face.

"I though you said you had no more tears to shed." Tundron teased.

Rette tried hard to fight back the flow of tears down her face, having not shed any since she was small, but ended up gasping in a sob instead. She couldn't get them to stop.

"Shut up. It's your fault." she insisted, leaning into Tundron's and Chrysalis' clawed paws.

"We know and we're sorry. The last thing we ever wanted to do was make you shed tears again." Chrysalis admitted, Tundron nodding in agreement.

"We might leave, Rette, but you know that nothing can stay the same. Everything changes. We need you to stay strong, hold your chin high." Tundron said, tilting Rette's chin up. "Be proud of your bruises and scars, child, and never feel like you need to hide anything. It's all a part of who you are and who you are is a brilliant young woman."

"No matter what, we will never really leave you. We will always be right here." Chrysalis said, tapping one claw tip to Rette's chest. "This is not the end of us, for we will always be a part of you. Even if we are worlds apart, we will always love you for you are our greatest achievement. Besides...it seems you have done a splendid job of finding where you belong. You have a magnificent family."

Chrysalis and Tundron's eyes rose to take in all of the mages standing off to the side. Rette sniffled, reaching up to wipe her eyes clear. When she looked back up at her dragon parents, she gave them a smile.

"Yes, I do. The best family. They are my piece of heaven." Rette admitted.

"Good, that's very good. Don't ever let got of that." Chrysalis told her. "We love you."

"And I you." Rette replied.

Chrysalis and Tundron gave her smiles before Tundron looked at Grandeeney, nodding. Pulling their claws away from Rette, the dragons spread their wings, taking to the air.

"O humans, the days we fought one another...the days we hated one another, those are all in the past. Today...we were able to join hands together in peace. The age of us dragons has, in one sense, come to an end." Weisslogia called out.

"The future from here on out shall be forged by the power of humanity." Skiadrum added.

"In accordance with the covenant made four hundred years ago between dragon and man, the Magna Carta, we dragons shall continued to watch over and protect mankind. For all eternity." Grandeeney called.

With that, the dragons' forms began to glow, their bodies slowly fading from existence. Each dragon called their farewell to their human child. Rette stared up at her dragons, tears in her eyes.

"Don't cry, little one. We will always love you and we will always be proud of you." Chrysalis called down to her.

"Hold your head high and remember...pain is just an anchor. You can't let it have control." Tundron added. "Protect what's your's and never let another take it."

"I promise. No one will take what's mine, ever again!" Rette called back, putting smiles on her dragons' faces.

"That's our girl."

With the final parting, the dragons vanished. Rette sucked in a deep breath, refusing to cry anymore. As they said, it wasn't goodbye, they would always be with her. It still was sad, though. She had been all wrong about them and, while she could have held on to her good memories, she had held on to her feeling of betrayal. So much time wasted.

"Rette."

And now it was time to face her friends.

Turning, Rette met Makarov's eyes as he came towards her, Erza and Mira just behind him. Judging from the look on his face, he had been filled in on everything about her and all that had gone down with Lachlan. For a moment, all he could do was stare at her. When he didn't say anything, Mira spoke up.

"Why, Rette? Why didn't you tell us? All this time, we didn't know what you were going through. We didn't know what was killing you inside." Mira said.

Rette's eyes feel to her hands. She felt so tired, so weak, that her hands, just like her knees, were shaking. Why had she hide everything? Why has she never said a word? The honest truth...

"I didn't want to make any of you hate me. I didn't want to disappoint any of you because I'm not quite human. But now the truth is out. This..this _**thing**_ has been tearing me apart for years." Rette admitted, curling her hands. "I didn't want to drag anyone else down with me and, yet, I did anyway. I brought Lachlan to Fairy's Tail's front door and it's because of me that you now have a target on your back. It's partly my fault, and I'm so sorry for it. I understand if you want me to leave and not come bac-"

Rette cut off as she was suddenly yanked around, arms wrapping around her tightly and hugging her to a soft, warm chest. Rette was surprised as she listened to the frantic beating of the heart just under her ear. Mira's scent reached her nose a second later.

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare go anywhere! You've already left us once today. Don't do it again." Mira pleaded. "I can't lose another sister again."

Rette didn't know if it was the cleansing her body had under gone when her mother had brought her back, or if it was just her being open and honest for once, but Mira's words hit her hard in the heart, bringing more tears to her face.

"We don't care about your past, Rette, or what you are, or what that man made you into. All we care about is you, who you are now. You are our friend, our family. We would never send you away." Erza added.

"You are now, and forever, a fairy of Fairy Tail, Rette. One of my children. We will always love you." Makarov assured her.

Rette fought hard to hold back her tears. She couldn't believe just how wonderful they were to her. They had taken everything about her, and had accepted it as if it was nothing. She would never be able to put into words just how much she loved them.

"Enough holding back, Rette. If you want to laugh, then laugh. If you want to scream or cry, then do it. We'll be right here for you." Mira told her.

And they would. Rette knew that. With that knowledge, she could no longer hold back her tears. Burying her face in Mira's chest, she left the sobs and wails leave her, the tears streaming down her face. When was the last time she had let herself cry? She couldn't even say.

All she could say was that she really loved her family.

-0-0-0-0-

That night, with the guild hall and half of Magnolia destroyed, most of the members of the guild, camped out in tents on the site where the guild hall had once stood. Even Rette's house, on the cliff over looking the guild hall, had been nearly completely demolished. With the events of the day catching up with Rette, Mira had taken over taking care of her. That being said, after helping set up tents and cook for those camped in them, Mira had to go in search of Rette. She found the young woman at the hospital, sitting on a stool beside Laxus' bed.

Rette was leaned forward, draped over the side of the bed, sound asleep. The events of the day had finally caught up to her, her body demanding sleep. She was still a little pale in the face, but at least she was sleeping now. Mira approached the bed, looking down at Rette. A smile curled her lips when she could Rette gripping Laxus' hand, her cheek resting on top of it.

"She's been like that for a few hours now." Mira turned to where Freed stood in the door way. His eyes were fixed on Rette. His expression was troubled as he crossed his arms over his chest. "She just walked in, sat down, and fell asleep."

"I imagine she's tired. After everything she's been through today, I'm not surprised." Mira replied.

"Should we be discussing what she did today?" Evergreen demanded as she entered the room. "I mean, she killed herself!"

"I know and I'm upset too, but she's here now, alive and well. For now, let's just let her sleep." Mira told them.

All of them looked at Rette as she shifted in her sleep, muttering as she gripped Laxus' hand tighter. It was almost as if she was holding onto a life line. After all she had been through during the day, it made sense. Mira smiled as she watched Rette and turned towards the others.

"Let's let them rest for now." she suggested.

Nodding, they left the room, leaving Rette and Laxus to sleep. Trouble had passed, for now, and Rette deserved the rest.

Tomorrow would bring new challenges.

END

Kyandi: You're so cute.

Rette: Be quiet.

Kyandi: But you are, sleeping at Laxus' bed.

Rette: So what? I had just died. Sue me for wanting to hold on to something.

Kyandi: You're so much more honest!

Rette: Don't you have things to do?

Kyandi: Oh, right! I have things to do, so everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	31. Going Separate Ways

Kyandi: Greetings, Kyandiacs!

Rette: We're back.

Kyandi: Alright, so I'm closing in on the final arc of Fairy Tail, which is sad.

Rette: At the same time, she's looking forward to the next arc.

Kyandi: Yep. I have two more chapters before I start the next arc; this one and the next.

Rette: The next one is just kind of set up for the next arc, isn't it.

Kyandi: Somewhat. But let's get this on the road.

Rette: Sounds good to me.

Kyandi: Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 31 Going Separate Ways

The next morning, Rette woke up feeling warm. When she opened her eyes, she found she was still sitting beside Laxus' bed, but someone had draped a blanket over her shoulders. She also found that she was still holding onto Laxus' hand, using it as a pillow for her cheek. Rette's eyes drifted up to Laxus' sleeping face. He looked so much more peaceful after having the medicine made from Tempster's blood, given to him. She was glad.

While part of her couldn't wait for him to wake up, for him to look at her and give her that smile he always gave her, another part of her wasn't looking forward to how he would react to the news of everything that had gone down and all that had been revealed in the time he had been out of it. In fact, she dreaded it more than anything else in her life.

What if he couldn't accept her like the others had? What if he couldn't forgive her for hiding something so important from him? She didn't know what she would do if he decided he never wanted to speak to her again. The mere thought was almost enough to reduce her to tears. Perhaps her quickness to cry now was due to the cleansing of her body courtesy of her mother's final spell.

Whatever the case, it made crying at the thought of Laxus never speaking to her again, a definite possibility. It certainly made her depressed and had her gripping his hand even tighter. At the least, she knew he wasn't going to be all too happy with her. She could already see his displeased, angry face as he looked at her. But she would take his anger if he just wouldn't write her out of his life.

Rette stopped her thoughts there, letting out a surprised laugh as she gazed at Laxus' face. Since when had she cared if he wanted her around or not? When had she begun to crave his presence in her life to the point that just the mere thought of him turning his back on her, made her want to cry?

She wasn't sure, but it had happened. Who would have thought that one day she would come to care so much about a man who had annoyed her with his conceited ways from day one? She could no more guess how it came to be than she could predict the future. She just knew one thing.

Laxus, the thief, had stolen her heart.

Just like with everyone else in Fairy Tail, she had come to hold him dear, to love him. Annoying quirks and all. When she had heard he had been injured by Tempster...she had thought her heart would jump right out of her chest. After him going missing for seven years, she was sure she couldn't handle something happening to him again. He was part of her family after all.

"Rette?"

Pushing herself up into a sitting position, Rette turned her head towards the doorway. There stood Freed, Evergreen, and Bixlow, all three staring at her. For some reason, it looked like all three of them were upset as they stared at her.

"Oh, hey guys. What's with those looks? Did someone die?" Rette asked.

Though the last question had been more of a jest than an honest question, it set off the three all the same. Before Rette knew what was going on, all there were shaking.

"Guys?" she asked, confused.

"You ask if someone died...you did." Freed replied.

Then it hit her. Of course they were upset. During the time after Laxus' departure from the guild all those years ago, she had grown close to the three of them. It was hard not to when they were in her house every single day. She should have expected them to be upset too. Thinking that, Rette got to her feet, letting the blanket slide from her shoulders, and turned to face them.

"I'm sorry. Really, I am. I just..." Rette glanced down at Laxus and then back at the other three. "I just didn't want him to hurt any of you. I couldn't bare for him to put any of you through the torment he forced on me."

Inwardly, Rette cursed as her eyes filled with tears once more. Seeing her with the tears in her eyes, her three friends couldn't hold onto their anger. The next thing Rette knew, she found herself wrapped up in their arms, the three of them squeezing her so tightly, it was hard to breathe.

"Guys...can't breathe..."

The three instantly loosened their hold, but they didn't release her. Rette now knew how Laxus felt whenever the three dog piled him. But she didn't have the heart to tell them to release her, so she let them continue to hug her.

"I really am sorry." Rette said.

"Just stop. Stop apologizing." Freed told her.

"When we heard what had happened...do you know how worried we were?" Evergreen asked.

"I know." Rette replied.

"Do you know how mad Laxus would be?" Bixlow asked.

"I'm aware." Rette replied.

"How mad we are?" Freed asked.

"You should be." Rette said.

Rette felt their grips tighten once more. She wasn't going to argue or plead with them not to be angry with her. They had every right to be angry with her. She hadn't completely thought it through when she had taken her own life and she had hurt several of her friends by doing so.

"We should be mad, but...we're so glad you're alright." Freed said.

"You guys..."

Rette didn't have any words. All she could do was wrap her arms around them and return the hug. For a moment, that was all she did. When words finally came to her, she spoke them as if they were a solemn vow.

"I won't do it again."

"You better not!" Evergreen snapped, stepping back enough to look Rette in the face. "I mean, look at you! A night's rest and you still look almost as pale as a ghost."

"Yeah, well...I still don't feel the best either." Rette admitted.

Despite sleeping soundly the whole night through, she still felt so tired. It was as if the whole thing had left her as weak as a new born baby. She had a feeling that it would be a while before she truly got her full strength back. Bixlow and Freed released her, backing away from her.

"While I want to insist on you getting some proper rest, Master wants to speak to you." Freed told her.

Rette was pretty sure it was so that he could give her the scolding of her life. He was bound to be completely displeased with her and her actions. Twenty-five she might be, but she was never too old for Makarov to scold her. Heaving a sigh, she told the three she would see them later, after finding out where Makarov was, and headed out. She found him looking over the crumbled remains of the guild hall.

"Master?"

Makarov turned when Rette called out to him. Already, she was bowing to him, her head hanging. She knew what she had done had worried them all and had been a wrong and hasty choice. She was sorry, as evident by her bowed posture.

"I'm so sorry, Master. I made all of you sad and made you cry, and for that I am so unbearably sorry." she told him. "I only...I only wanted to keep all of you from feeling the pain he made me feel."

She was braced, waiting for the verbal lashing she was sure was coming. Instead, she was surprised when she felt a hand land lightly on her head. Raising her head slightly, she found Makarov standing in front of her, a hand resting on her head.

"Master?"

"You're right. You worried us, made your comrades cry. Even when told to be careful, you rushed into a decision that could have been permanent. You're very luck it wasn't." Makarov told her sternly. "That being said...you were trying to protect your family. While I don't approve of the method, I am proud that you stood up to your fears for your friends."

Rette was so shocked that she didn't realize that her knees had buckled until she was sitting in front of Makarov. He smiled at her fondly, patting her head. Rette couldn't even began to describe how much she ate up the fatherly attention. She had found that, even at her age, one was never too old to finally be treated like daddy's little girl.

Makarov looked Rette straight in the eye, knowing full well that while Rette was sorry for upsetting them and knew that her choice had been hasty, she still believed herself disposable compared to her friends. Old habits, or in this case, old beliefs, were hard to break and she had seven years bearing the weight of the guild while believing this.

"Rette, listen to me. I know I've told you this before. In a guild, one person's happiness, is everyone's happiness. One person's anger, is everyone's anger. One person's sadness, is everyone's sadness. That is what a guild is. There isn't any reason for you to try to do anything alone. If something is too difficult, if something scares you, you're comrades are always right there for you. Everyone in Fairy Tail has their story, has their secrets they would rather no one know, but in our guild, we accept and love each other despite those stories and secrets. You are one of my children, Rette, and that's not going to change. Do you understand?"

Rette bit the inside of her cheek, fighting back the tears that wanted to come forth. She had already cried more in the last day than she had since she was very small. Despite trying to fight them back, a few spilled down her cheeks anyway.

"I understand. I really am sorry, Master. I never wanted to hurt anyone. Fairy Tail and everyone in it, means too much to me."

"Good girl." Makarov said, patting her head. "You're family to everyone in Fairy Tail and even those outside of our guild, and you will always mean a lot to your family. Just promise me that you will not do something like that again."

"I promise, Master. But, Master, you have to know that Lachlan isn't going to let this go. Nor is Zeref going to." Rette said, her eyes falling to the ground.

She was too aware of the fact that Lachlan was not going to let her get away from him. She was his and Zeref's creation and Lachlan never had been one to take being defied lightly. They would both come after her again, if only to kill her and regain the demon sealed within her. Makarov could see the weight of that knowledge shining in her eyes.

"I know. That is part of the reason why I called you here. Rette...I'm disbanding Fairy Tail."

Rette's head flew up, her eyes going wide as they landed on Makarov. Her mouth fell open and closed a few times as she fought to think of something to say to him. Finally she cleared her throat and tried again.

"But why?" she asked.

"There is a war brewing that I don't want my children being drawn into. I will disband the guild now and do what I can to make sure that war doesn't find it's way to our family. As Fairy Tail's master, that is my duty."

"Then let me go with you." Rette insisted.

Makarov couldn't help the smile that curled his lips. Rette had changed so much since she had joined the guild. He had watched it with his own eyes. She had tired so hard to hide the worst parts of herself and who she really was, to keep a distance between herself and the others, all in hopes to spare them of the demons she both figuratively and literally carried with her. She cared more than she had wanted to let on, had protected her guild mates even when they didn't know that there was danger lurking just out of view, and had continued doing so even when the guild had fallen from grace. Even now, she sought to protect him despite the fact that she, herself, was still so pale and weak after her death and rebirth.

"Rette, I'm happy that you feel so fierce a need to protect your family, but I won't take you with me." Rette opened her mouth to argue, but Makarov held up a hand to silence her. "Rette, when you came to Fairy Tail, I knew you had some demons, as all my children do. Whether that is figurative or literal, doesn't matter. I knew you were always holding back, always keeping a certain amount of distance between you and others, and it concerned me that you felt you couldn't trust us."

This was usually the point where people argued that they did trust others, but Rette never really made pointless arguments. She knew he was right and wouldn't argue it. If anything, she hung her head in shame of how she had acted.

"I'm sorry, Master." she said lowly.

"I understand your reasons. I have done my best to show you that this guild is your family and that everyone loves you just as you are. No matter if we're together or apart, that won't change." he told her.

"I know."

"The guild will disband now, but you are still one of my children and I want only the best for you. So, as a last order as your guild master...I want you to promise me that you won't do anything stupid and that you will stay away from Lachlan Banesbloud." Makarov insisted sternly.

Rette raised her head to meet his eyes. He couldn't read her expression and for a moment, she was silent as she considered his words. But then she nodded.

"I promise, Master..." she said.

Makarov nodded, heaving a relieved sigh. He could do what he needed to do and not have to worry about Rette. It would be a great load off his mind as he went forth.

"What will you and Thyme do?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. I will give Thyme a choice. She's grown so close to Lily that I couldn't bare to be what separates them. I will encourage her to go with him because I know that's what her heart really wants." Rette remarked, looking back towards where the tents the other members had stayed in, were pitched. "I will take Wendy and Carla to Lamia Scale. I know Jura will see to it that they are well cared for and welcomed, and Wendy is friends with Chelia. She will settle in nicely there, I think and it will ease my mind to know they are with friends."

"And you?" Makarov asked.

"I'm not sure. I know several guilds that would accept me, but I'm not sure what to do. I might go to Blue Pegasus. Master Bob has always been kind to me. I know he would take me without a second thought." Rette replied. "And with a well enough placed comment, maybe Laxus, Freed, Evergreen, and Bixlow will join me."

"Then I have a final job for you to do for me."

Rette turned her eyes back to him, listening as he told her what he wanted for her to do. Nodding, Rette agreed to his final job. She parted from Makarov and went in search of Thyme. She found the exceed with Lily, Carla, and Wendy. Thyme raised a paw in greeting when Rette approached.

"Rette! Are you feeling better?" Wendy asked.

"Yeah. Hey, I need to talk to the three of you." Rette said, gesturing to Thyme, Wendy, and Carla.

Catching on that Rette wanted a little privacy, Lily went in search of Gajeel. Only when he was out of hearing range did Rette turn to the other three.

"What is it?" Wendy asked.

"Master is disbanding Fairy Tail." Rette said.

"We heard." Wendy said sadly.

"Everyone is going to go their separate ways. I've been tasked with taking the two of you to Lamia Scale." Rette said, looking at Wendy and Carla.

"Us? But why?" Wendy asked.

"Jura will see to it that you two are cared for and I know you have maintained a friendship with Chelia. It's a good option for you. At least until we can bring Fairy Tail back together." Rette turned and looked at Thyme. "You have a choice now, my old friend. You either come with me or you can stay with Lily. I know how much you care for him. I wouldn't grudge you the slightest if you choose him."

Thyme glanced towards Lily, her little, black paws gripping the front of her dress. Rette could see the conflict in her eyes. Crouching down, Rette rested a hand on Thyme's head, making the exceed look up at her. Rette gave her a smile.

"We have spent many years together and you are my oldest and dearest friend." Rette told Thyme, making the exceed smile back at her. "It's why I won't stand between you and what you really want. Go with him, Thyme. You don't want to end up regretting not persuing the one you love."

Thyme stared up at Rette, meeting her eyes. She knew that Rette really meant what she said. She only wanted Thyme to be happy. Finally, Thyme nodded.

"Good." Rette said softly, stroking Thyme's head.

"What about you, Rette?" Wendy asked.

"I have a last job to do for Master. After that...I'm not sure. I'll figure it out, though." Rette told her.

"You could just stay with us." Carla said reasonably.

"I don't want to join a guild. Fairy Tail is my guild and Magnolia is my home. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Rette assured her.

Rette, they knew, had said she would be fine during their fight with Tartaros and had, briefly, ended up dead. Wendy wasn't so sure she could trust those words from Rette. As if she could read Wendy's mind, Rette reached out and placed a hand on her head.

"I'm not going to pull a stunt like that again, Wendy. I promise. It's just...I'm a one guild kind of girl." Rette assured her. "Believe it or not, but while you and the rest of the others who went to Tenrou Island, were gone, I found out that I have a certain knack with tavern management. Who knows, I might make a business out of that."

Rette despite everything else she was and did, kept her promise. Wendy smiled back at her. As it was, Rette had already been asked to be careful by Makarov and she knew she would be asked the same several more times before she actually left Magnolia. But the truth was...what she had promised Makarov...wasn't what he had asked of her. She hadn't promised him that she would stay away from Lachlan and not do anything stupid.

What she had promised...was that she would never go against his wishes after this.

It was time she found her father and put an end to this whole thing.

With everything decided and their departure date set for the next morning, Rette return back to the hospital. With her house destroyed, there wasn't much for her to salvage in the way of possessions, so she merely went back to Laxus' room. She found Freed, Evergreen, and Bixlow waiting. When she explained to them the conversation she'd had with Makarov and the final job he had given her, they all stared at her.

"But...can't you wait until Laxus wakes up?" Freed asked.

"I wish I could, believe me, I do, but Master wants me to get a move on before horribly false rumors start." Rette replied.

"But you shouldn't be traveling yet!" Evergreen added.

"I'll be fine. I'll have Wendy and Carla with me. I'm going to take them to Lamia Scale. They'll do well there." Rette replied.

"And you?" Bixlow asked.

"I'm thinking of going to Blue Pegasus. Master Bob was good to me while all of you were gone for those seven years. I know he'll be good to me again."

From the look the three shared, she knew they were going to talk Laxus into going to Blue Pegasus as well. Though, the question would then be whether or not he would want to after they told him all they had found out about her. But she wasn't going to tell them not to tell him. Laxus deserved to know, especially now that the cat was out of the bag.

"Don't worry about me though. Even if I'm on my own, for a little while...I'm use to it. I can make it for a short while." she promised them.

They agreed, dropping the argument for the time being. Rette was grateful that they did. She didn't want them to dig too far or they might actually get the truth out of her.

She just hoped they forgave her for lying to them.

-0-0-0-0-

The next day, Rette, Wendy, and Carla bid farewell to their friends after seeing off Sting, Rogue, and Minerva. It was easy for Rette to tell, just by looking at the way Freed, Bixlow, and Evergreen stared at her, that they was concerned and really didn't want to leave her, but they had Laxus to look after. Once their farewells were said, Rette, Wendy, and Carla headed out.

The trip to Lamia Scale's guild hall was pretty easy, as far as Rette was concerned. Which she was grateful for. She wasn't sure she could handle a lot of hassle while she still hadn't bounced back completely. The guild hall was busy when they arrived at it's doors.

"This is Lamia Scale?"

Wendy and Carla looked up at the building before them. Rette, standing beside Wendy with her hands on her hips, nodded to Wendy's question.

"Yes. Come on."

Wendy and Carla followed Rette as she led the way inside. The moment they entered the building, all eyes turned to them. Wendy took a step closer to Rette simply because she was shy with so many people staring at her. Rette was unfazed by the stares, as she always was.

"Rette?"

Jura, with Lyon and Chelia behind him, approached them, a curious look on his face as he looked at the two Fairy Tail mages. Rette raised a hand in greeting to him.

"Hey. Just the guy I wanted to see." Rette said.

"What's going on? Shouldn't you be resting? We all heard about what happened...about your father." Jura said, lowering his voice.

Rette's eyes darted away from him. So the word had begun to spread about her and who and what she really was? She should have expected it. It wasn't like her guild mates were the only friends she had been keeping secrets from. Bowing at the waist, Rette apologized. If nothing else, Jura, Lyon, and Chelia had proved themselves to be her friends. After all, Jura and Lyon had been helpful to her over the last seven years. She owed them an apology as well. It surprised Rette when Jura reached out, dropping a hand onto her shoulder. When Rette straightened up to look at him, he smiled at her.

"You have no reason to apologize. We can't help the parents we're born to, Rette, and none of us hold it against you." he told her.

"Yeah, but killing yourself was taking things a step too far." Lyon added.

"I know. I just...I didn't want to see my father hurt others like he did me. He's a demon in more ways than one." Rette said, her shoulders sagging. Reaching up, she laid a hand over Jura's and gave him a smile. "Thank you for your acceptance."

"Of course. You know...you've changed. More than you have over the last seven years." Jura told her.

"I know. I'm not exactly sure what really happened to me and my body during those moments before I came back to life, but all of my scars, both those on my body and those on my mental and emotional state, are gone. I don't know but it feels more...freeing. Perhaps change isn't all that bad." Rette replied with a smile.

"Not bad at all." Jura agreed. "So what are the three of you doing here?"

Rette and Wendy shared a look before Rette heaved a sigh.

"Fairy Tail has disbanded."

Gasps sounded all over the room as everyone fell silent. Jura, Lyon, and Chelia stared at Rette and her two companions in shock. It was Jura that recovered first.

"Why? You didn't disband even when you fell on such hard times."

"Master decided it. He didn't explain why, only said that there was something he had to do. Everyone have already begun going their separate ways. Natsu and Happy vanished without a word, Lucy's going to find a journalist job, Gray and Juvia left together, Thyme is with Gajeel, Lily, and Levy, and I don't know where Erza is." Rette told him.

"And you're here, why?" Lyon asked.

"I wanted to see if you would consider taking in Wendy and Carla." Rette answered.

"What about you?" Jura asked.

"I still have to do something Master asked me to do. I'll decide what to do afterward. Will you take them?" Rette asked.

"Of course." Jura told her. "And if you decide to join another guild after your work is done, then we'll be glad to take you too."

Rette nodded, thankful to him. She turned to Wendy then, who already had eyes full of tears. Gracefully, she dropped to one knee in front of Wendy, laying her hands on the girl's shoulders. She shared Wendy's heartache at having to part, but it was necessary. Rette, as she had done the day she had suggested Wendy join Fairy Tail, held open her arms.

Wendy and Carla both dived into her open arms and Rette wrapped them up in a hug. Wendy let her tears loose, crying while Rette pat her back.

"Don't cry, Wendy. Its not goodbye forever. Just a, "Until next time". We'll see each other again, I swear." Rette told her lowly.

Wendy released her, stepping back and wiping her eyes. She gave Rette a smile as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I know. Just...be careful, Rette." Wendy told her.

"Everyone is saying that. You would think I was careless." Rette remarked.

"You can be." Lyon butted in.

Rette could see the truth in that statement. She did have her careless moments. Rette laid a hand on Wendy's head and gave her a small smile.

"Take care of yourselves. I'll see you again." Rette told them.

Wendy nodded, Carla promising to keep an eye on Wendy. Rette said her farewells to them before leaving. Now alone, Rette hit the road. For the first time in years, she was completely on her own. No one walked beside her, no one was there to start conversation. It was what Rette needed to carry out what she had to do, but...it was far too quiet.

It use to be that Rette lived in silence, loved it, would have begged for silence when screams filled her ears. But now? It was so strange not to hear loud laughter or excited chatter, or the sound of wooden furniture smashing in a fight. Rette realized that she loved the sounds of her guild just as much as she loved the people in it. It was the sound of home.

"That's why I must do this." Rette muttered to herself. "For them...for their safety and happiness. I refuse to let the same darkness in me, fall over them."

Rette stopped in her tracks, turning back to look towards the town where she had left Wendy and Carla. She had come to a lot of realizations recently. Fore front of those was that her guild was her life, no...her heart and soul. She would lose her will to live without them, that was how much she loved them.

She had a lot she needed to tell them, especially Laxus, but before she could do that, something had to change.

So while she still intended to bring a stop to Lachlan on her own, she wasn't going to let her life be forfeited to do so. She would handle her father and then she would come back home to her family. If, along the way, she was able to fully let the light of her family shine in, than all the better. For now, she had something that needed to be changed.

With that thought, she moved on to the next stop.

-0-0-0-0-

"My, my! Maki said that?"

Rette, standing at the bar of the Blue Pegasus guild hall, batted off the advances of some men and nodded to Bob. She had been greeted quite energetically upon entering the building, every single one of them accepting the truth of who and what Rette was after so many years of her randomly stopping by. Along with that, she had been greeted with a lot of flirting, something she had waved off to approach Bob at the bar. She slid onto a bar stool and Bob sat a drink in front of her. Rette thanked him.

"Yes. Master asked that I explain to his friends among the other guild masters what is happening. He hopes, should any of our members come here looking to join, that you will accept them." Rette told him.

"But of course, my dear! I'd be more than happy to accept you too, dear. After all these years, you should know that." Bob told her.

"Thank you, Master Bob, but I still have quite the task before me. I will keep your offer in mind." Rette told him politely.

"Of course. Just take it easy, dear. You still look so pale. Of course, we all heard about the scare you gave poor Maki. Don't push yourself." Bob told her.

He reached out, cupping one of her cheeks. He gave it a gentle tap and smiled at her. She had friends in so many guilds, so many that she hadn't even thought about when she had gave her life for those brief minutes.

"We all care about your well being, dear. Don't forget that." Bob told her.

"I won't. Thank you for your concern, Master Bob." Rette told him.

"Oh, so polite! You've always been so polite. I would love to have your adorable face around here!" Bob said cheerfully when he saw the smile that appeared on her face.

"I'm sure. I do know that I heard Freed mentioning something about him, Evergreen, Bixlow, and Laxus coming here when Laxus wakes up." Rette told him.

"If they come, we'll happily accept them." Bob told her.

"Thank you, Master Bob. And thank you for the drink." Rette told him.

"Honey, why don't you stay the night? Get some rest and get a fresh start in the morning?" Bob offered.

"Thank you, but no. No offense, Master Bob, but I don't think I could survive a night at your guild. I have no tolerance for the constant advances and flirtation from your members. Even after batting them off for all of these years, I still just don't have the heart."

Bob chuckled to himself. He had heard that Rette, for quite some time now, had been the apple of Laxus' eye. It was adorable to think that, even at her age, Rette was so innocent. Bob was sure that Rette frustrated Laxus quite a bit.

"Well that's fine, but please promise you will find somewhere to spend the night. You need rest." Bob insisted.

"I already have a room at an inn nearby." Rette assured him.

Relieved, Bob nodded. He reassured Rette that he would keep an eye out for any fairies seeking to become Pegasuses.

"Before I go, might I ask a favor of you, Master Bob?" Rette asked.

"Of course. What do you need, dear?" Bob asked.

Rette turned, digging into one of the pouches on the bag sitting in the chair next to her. Out of it, she pulled a sealed envelope with Laxus' name scrawled across the front. She turned and hand it to Bob.

"When he shows up, could you give this to Laxus. Have him read it alone." Rette asked.

"Oh!? Is it a love letter?" Bob asked, giving her a sly grin.

"Something like that, but not quite." Rette replied. "I'm pretty sure Laxus thinks he has my affections secured."

Bob chuckled, but took the letter and promised to give it to Laxus. Rette thanked him and left to continue on about her job.

A few days later, after awaking to the mood souring news that Rette had left, Laxus showed up, Freed, Evergreen, and Bixlow following him, just as Rette predicted. When Laxus and his crew sat down at the bar, Bob chuckled.

"Amazing. That girl knows you like the back of her hand." Bob remarked, wiping a glass.

"What are you talking about?" Laxus asked.

"Rette, the little dear, was in here a few days ago. Seems your grandfather gave her one last job to do. She said you'd be here soon." Bob told him.

"Rette was here?" Laxus asked.

When he had awoke, Rette had already been long gone and when Freed and the others had filled him in on all that had happened while he had been unconscious, he had become certain that she had ran away from facing him. He had been so furious, he had punched a hole in the wall. She had also left Thyme in the hands of Gajeel, Levy, and Lily. When he had asked her, though, Thyme had no idea where Rette had gone. After her death, the link between them had been broken and hadn't reestablished itself after her rebirth, so Thyme was no longer linked to her.

It pissed Laxus off, the whole thing.

He had just gotten her back after what had been a seven years absence for her. Now she was the one gone. After everything that Freed had told him, Laxus had only wanted to wrap her in his arms and refuse to let her father anywhere near her. She deserved a little protection instead of handling it all on her own.

"She was. She left this for you. Said to have you read it alone." Bob said.

Bob bent over, fishing something out from under the bar before he handed a sealed envelope to Laxus. Laxus recognized Rette's neat script spelling out his name on the front. Laxus took the letter and, leaving his three friends behind, retreated to a corner of the room. He opened the letter and started reading the words Rette had left him.

 _Laxus,_

 _I imagine by the time you read this that Freed has told you everything about me, and that you're pretty angry with me. While it would be common for a person to now say, "I was going to tell you.", I had no plans to ever tell any of you this dark truth. I was so afraid of the reaction to the information that all of you would have. Part of me knew I should have trusted you, but fear, once learned, is hard to shake. I never wanted to cast Lachlan's shadow over the guild, so perhaps it's a good thing that we're parting ways now._

 _That being said, I will miss Fairy Tail, and, though I will deny this should you tell anyone or mention it, I will miss you. Master has asked me to pass on news of Fairy Tail's disbandment to a few of his friends and allies, but after that...I'm not sure what I'll do. I won't join another guild, so sorry for misleading Freed and the others. Fairy Tail is the one and only guild for me, but I thought Blue Pegasus would be a good fit for you and the Thunder Legion. There's a lot I have to do and several things I have to work through. I know Fairy Tail isn't over. Everyone is far too stubborn to let it die. But until we meet again, try not to annoy too many people._

 _Don't worry about me. I have a few things to do, as I've said, but I won't do anything to get myself killed again. I've learned that I can't stand to be the cause of tears in my family. I won't tell you what I'm doing and if you come looking for me, I'll neuter you, but I promise you...we will meet again._

 _When we do, I have something important to tell you._

 _So, with that said, take care of yourself, as well as Freed, Evergreen, and Bixlow. I'll be back before you know it. Who knows, maybe you won't be as annoying. Of course, this is only assuming you can forgive me. For not telling you the truth of my past, for bringing Lachlan's wrath upon the guild, for everything. If, after everything is said and done, you can't forgive me, I will vanish. The same goes for the others. I refuse to bring hatred or anger to Fairy Tail. Perhaps it would be better if I didn't come back at all. I don't know. I guess we will see, but I really believe we'll meet again._

 _Take care, be safe, and don't come after me._

 _Rette_

The woman was insane!

How could she write all that and then insist that he sit on his hands and not go after her? Turning the page over, he found something else written there.

 _P.S._

 _Come after me and I'll spread all the pictures I took of you and little Yuri, all over Fiore._

Damn it!

Laxus almost ripped the letter up in his annoyance. He had told Rette to destroy those pictures after he had found out that she had spent the whole week taking embarrassing pictures of him with Yuri. No one needed to see a picture of Laxus, sleeping like a baby, with a little kid sleeping on top of his chest, his butt in Laxus' face.

Catching himself though, Laxus carefully folded the letter and tucked it in his pocket. When he picked up the envelope, something fluttered out of it. Laxus picked it up, finding that it was a picture someone had taken of him and Rette as they sat beside each other at her last birthday party.

Laxus hadn't noticed it at the time, but Rette was smiling, ever so slightly, as she looked up at him. On the back of the picture, Rette had written a short note.

 _I never did thank you for your present. I'll keep it close, so consider this my thanks._

Below it, in a subtle pink, was the mark of Rette's lips from where she had kissed the photo.

Laxus leaned back in his seat, staring at the picture. At moments like this, when she did things like this, it made him wonder if she actually really did understand his feelings for her. Other times, most of the time, she was oblivious. The only time he could get anything close to a date with her, was only after helping her beat of Orga's advances.

It was crazy.

"She's very beautiful." Laxus jerked out of his thoughts as Bob sat a drink in front of him. Bob perched himself in a chair across from Laxus. "You think so, too, don't you?"

Laxus grunted his agreement. Rette had always been pretty, but in the seven years he had been gone, she had gain a graceful, and mature, beauty to her. Laxus had always thought her beautiful, but it was so much more than just her appearance.

"You know, Maki was always worried about your obvious attraction to little Rette." Bob said.

That surprised Laxus. He had never tried to hide his attraction to Rette, had made it quite clear to Orga that he had first, and if he had anything to say about it, final claim, but Makarov had never said a word to him about it.

"The old man had a problem?" Laxus asked.

"Maki feared you were only attracted to little Rette's appearance and that it was only a passing thing. There's so much more to her, you know and Maki always felt that she deserved something life long." Bob said with a sigh.

"I know. She doesn't let me forget that there's more to her." Laxus replied. "And it's not a passing thing."

"Then what is it you like about her?" Bob asked.

Laxus was growing awkward. He didn't even discuss this with Rette. He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. He rubbed at his face with one hand. He really didn't want to discuss this with Bob.

"Come now, honey. If you can't proclaim it boldly in front of others, she'll never believe you. You know little Rette." Bob told him.

Laxus knew he was right. Because he never wanted to boldly proclaim that he was in love with her, or that he just had feelings for her, Rette never took him serious. He had kissed her and she still didn't believe him. Growling to himself, he looked at Bob. Bob gave him a smile of encouragement. Laxus ran a hand through his hair and looked away from Bob.

"It's not just her looks, though she's quite a looker. Rette's strong, determined, protective of what she claims as hers, and she's never held some stupid choice I made against me. She's always been there when anyone needed her. I mean, look at what she did during the seven years the Tenrou team was gone. And she understood me when I thought no one else did."

The more Laxus talked, the easier it turned out to be. Bob nodded as he listened, Laxus continuing on. As he spoke, Laxus realized things about Rette that he had never realized he liked.

"She has a knack for making you feel guilty about something you did even when you didn't feel guilty before. It's her way of keeping a person humble. Despite how screwed up her life was, she has the greatest capacity to love and cherish. Life has seriously screwed with her, but she's still willing to face the next day with hope and faith. She's strong in a way I've never been. Not to mention she's a great cook." Laxus said.

"She is quite the young lady." Bob agreed.

"Yeah, and she doesn't even realize it. Even if she feels awkward or out of her depth, she still learns to adapt to whatever situation she is in. And now she expects me to hate her because of her old man and something he did to her." Laxus remarked.

"Well, little Rette really has worked hard to build her life. During the seven years Maki and most of you were gone, she served as the social link between Fairy Tail and the other guilds. Several of us felt like we owed it to Maki to try to help, but Rette refused. She said that she would never allow Fairy Tail to take advantage of its friends. She worked hard to support the guild. In fact...everyone suggested she become master instead of Macao, but she insisted she would ruin the guild as its head." Bob said with a sigh.

"Instead, she became the heart." Laxus remarked idly.

Bob nodded in agreement. Rette really was something else when she tried her hardest. She had devoted herself to the guild in a time when it was lost and had no way out. She fought and protected the guild from the shadows that lurked just out of sight, always defending them from something they didn't even know was there.

She had acted as the guild's guiding light.

"She has been the guiding light of Fairy Tail and its members. Perhaps now it's your turn to be her light. Guide her back home, if you miss her. And when you do, don't let her go again." Bob suggested. "You only meet a girl like her once every era."

Boy did he know it. He was sure, now more than ever, that Rette was the love of his life. He didn't know how she felt, though he had a strong hope that she felt the same way. While he might not be able to go after her, he would definitely be on the look out for any news about her.

And once he had her back in his arms...he wasn't letting go.

Ever.

END

Kyandi: Okay, so I take it back...you and Laxus have your cute moments too.

Rette: Only when he isn't annoying me.

Kyandi: He only does that because he loves you.

Rette: That's a kind of love I could do without.

Kyandi: Oh, you're just joking.

Rette: Only a little.

Kyandi: Anyway, I have other stories to work on, so everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: We will return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	32. Dear Diary

Kyandi: Hello all Kyandiacs.

Rette: We're back.

Kyandi: And we have **two** chapters for all of you!

Rette: Admittedly, this one is a little on the short side.

Kyandi: Well, it was suppose to be more of a small, wrap-up kind of chapter that also kind of sets some other things up.

Rette: Oh, right. The surprise.

Kyandi: Shush! Not another word out of you.

Rette: Got it.

Kyandi: With that said, everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Kyandi: If I did, the ending would have been so much more detailed.

Chapter 32 Dear Diary

 _How do I start this...? I refuse to use "Dear Diary" so I will simple go with, Whoever happens to be reading,_

 _First thing first, my name is Rette Irini Starrilia. I'm twenty-five, a mage, and was originally born as Amoreta Banesbloud. But that last part doesn't really matter. Where was I? Oh. Right. I'm twenty-five and a mage of the magical guild, Fairy Tail; home of the world's foremost trouble making mages._

 _Not trouble making in a I'm-evil-and-am-going-to-destroy-the-world kind of way. Its more of an idiotic kind of way. A lot of things get blown up when my guild mates are in town. But while my guild is known for it's trouble makers, forefront of those being our resident hot head(no pun intended, I swear), Natsu Dragneel, and was constantly filled with yelling and/or fighting, how do I put this...it's home._

 _You see, I didn't have a good childhood by any standards, and while I would rather not talk about it, this might be my last chance to tell the story from my point of view. Every last detail. After all, this letter will probably never be found by anyone, anyway._

 _I was born on an uncommonly cold, late spring night to my twisted, cruel, dark mage of a father and my poor, kind hearted mother who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and whose only mistake was loving a mentally ill man. Sadly, she died just a few days after my birth, courtesy of my father. This left me in the hateful clutches of my father in a place that never had an ounce of warmth to it in any way, shape, or form._

 _Then again, when you're born and raised underground, everything's cold...even the people._

 _Everyone, but my nursemaid. She had been my mother's best friend and, ironically...her baby sister, my aunt, Seraphina. It's not a detail that's known even to those who know my secrets, but Aunt Seraphina was the only light in my dark world. After seeing what my father did to my mother, she didn't try to defy him. After all, she had only been fourteen at the time and what fourteen year old would openly defy the man who killed her sister? But she had taught me my Light of Creation magic, the magic my mother used and she was the one that helped me to finally escape._

 _Even now, I wonder whatever happened to my dear, sweet aunt, but I doubt I would ever get the truth from my father._

 _But I digress._

 _Upon my birth, my father, who was a right hand man to the dark mage, Zeref, allowed said man to name me. Zeref bestowed the name Amoreta on me. My nickname, from what my aunt told me later on, was picked out by my mother before she died._

 _My father was highly abusive and almost everything I did caused him anger. It wasn't like I tried. I remember working hard not to anger him, but it never worked. My very existence seemed to anger him. As punishment he would hurt me, starve me, though he would never allow me to die._ _ **That**_ _was perhaps the cruelest thing he did. I spent most of my long, endless days, alone in the dark and cold, dressed in nothing but, literally, a rag, afraid and angry at everything and everyone._

 _Looking back on it now, perhaps the lack of clothes back then is why I hate underwear now._

 _It's certainly food for thought._

 _By the time I was three, my tears had dried up. By the time I was four, I had received my first life long scar from my father in the form of a shackle scar on my ankle. By the time I was five, I cracked under the constant fear and anger._

 _It was the first time that, in a fit of rage and fear for my life, the voice started speaking in my head, urging me to hurt and kill._

 _And I did._

 _My father had caught one of the few other children in the Compound, trying to slip food to me while I was being punished. When confronted, the boy stood up for me. As a way to punish us both...he ordered me to kill the boy. After beating him nearly to death, first. I refused. In anger, my father killed the boy and turned on me. He was so angry that he ripped into my stomach without a second thought. In that blind urging of anger, I nearly clawed out one of his eyes._

 _After that, fear had quickly replaced anger and the urge to flee was what finally got me out of that forsaken place. It was a year later, still in my blind run through wilderness I had never before encountered, that I met my dragons; Tundron and Chrysalis. If you want a weird childhood, try being six and running into two large dragons that could squash you under one clawed foot like a bug. And then try having those same dragons decide to adopt you as their daughter._

 _Yeah, the whole "Mommy, where do babies come from" conversation yielded some strange results._

 _I never did find out. Not until recently._

 _But, just between me and you...they aren't the only dragons I met when I was little._

 _Though I never told them about the other one...she wasn't so nice._

 _Needless to say, by the time I met them, my heart was about as open as a concrete dam. I butted heads with my dragon parents a lot and we argued a lot. Most of those arguments ended with me hanging from one of my dragon father's icy back spikes by the back of my dress. Chrysalis found it hilarious._

 _Yeah...dragons have a weird sense of humor._

 _I didn't want to admit it out loud until recently, especially after they vanished, but I really did care for the both of them. They had given me all they could; time, love...two beings to call family despite the difference in species. I was just too closed off to see it at the moment. Too angry to believe them vanishing was anything other than them abandoning me._

 _Not that I've been much better later on in life._

 _Even with how much I've changed, I have still closed up the most vulnerable part of me from everyone around me. I thought it better to live locked in my personal hell than to risk anymore of my heart._

 _But I digress. Like I said, though, Tundron and Chrysalis vanished. One day, when I was eleven, they just up and vanished without a word to me. Or...at least that was how it seemed. I know differently now, but back then, I had no idea where they went and I had no where to go. Without them there, I had no reason to stay, so I started travelling. Always alone, always keeping the world at a distance. It was around this time that I started to pick up books from here and there and started learning other types of magic._

 _I didn't want to use the magic my dragon parents had taught me, so I sought out new magic and started applying the mixing technique I had picked up on when I was learning Dragon Slayer magic, thus giving birth to a new type of magic: Nexus Magic._

 _A year later, I found a large egg in a field of wild thyme. From that hatched my constant companion, Thyme. She was so tiny then. I use to carry her in a makeshift sling across my chest, as if she was a baby. At least until she could fly steadily. Now a days, she constantly sits on my shoulder. She's the first creature I've ever let my guard down around._

 _Kind of hard not to when she can sometimes read my thoughts and emotions._

 _We traveled around, on our own, for a good six years. It was a simple life usually consumed with raking up money for food and running from dark guilds. Simple, but better than what I had originally come from._

 _And then I met them._

 _Fairy Tail._

 _I can't help but look at my guild mates as I write this. Upon first being introduced to the chaos of the guild, I had been...overwhelmed. And understandably so, mind you. Any normal, sane person(and I'm not entirely sure that applies to me) would have balked in the face of the members of this guild._

 _The master, Makarov, managed to talk me into joining the guild, Thyme following me in the choice, but I had tried to keep my distance. Despite their rowdiness and quirks, the people of Fairy Tail are good people. I didn't, and still don't, want to do anything to cause them harm of any kind._

 _This guild is mine after all and I protect what's mine._

 _Over time, the people of the guild just kind of...weaseled their way in._

 _When they want something, they make it impossible to tell them no._

 _I didn't realize it when it was happening. At first it was just a feeling of, "This isn't so bad" and then it was stronger feelings of growing affection. Then, before I even knew what hit me, the guild captured my heart. Or, at least, what's left of it._

 _They became my God given solace in this world. The one thing that calmed my heart amidst the storm it almost always seemed to be caught in. Even when the world around me was going up in smoke, they kept the very core of my heart calm and tranquil._

 _I won't admit any of this out loud, of course, though I have a feeling I don't really need to. Some of them, at least, have figured it out by now. I've felt myself relaxing my guard around them, more and more during the time I've been with them. How could I not?_

 _There was Makarov who, like a true father, wanted only what was best for me. He only wanted me to be happy. He treats me like I'm actually his child. It's a bit surprising, to be honest. Even with so many others in the guild and so many problem children(we all know I'm talking about Natsu and Gray, though Gajeel and Laxus rank pretty high up there too), he still finds the time and concentration to focus solely on me. It makes me feel...well, loved._

 _Something I never got with my birth father._

 _And then there's the Strauss siblings. Though the three are actual siblings and had no real reason to do so, they basically adopted me as one of their own. For all tends and purposes, it's as if I was born one of them. I never knew how nice it was to have siblings until I could walk into the guild hall on a bad day and walk right into the open arms of Mira and Lisanna, with Elfman there to lift all three of us off the ground in a near bone crushing embrace._

 _Who knew I would actually enjoy nearly being snapped in two, as long as it was done with love?_

 _My teammates are right there on the list, just below them. The first of which is Erza._

 _You have no idea what it's like to have an overly protective and over whelming, big sister figure until you end up as the pseudo sister of Erza Scarlet. I don't know whether to describe Erza as surprisingly girly or creditably insane. Perhaps both? Whichever way you want to put it, I know she's always there for me. Even when I don't want her to be. And despite being older, she has a way of making me feel like I'm the younger one and, therefore, needs to be protected._

 _And believe me...there are times like that._

 _After her, is Natsu. How to describe Natsu...incredibly irritating? Eternally grating? Idiotically cheerful? Yes, that's about right. If girls mature faster than boys, than little five year old Asuka is far more mature than him. Despite that...I don't think I could have a more loyal friend. Does he get on my nerves and make me what to smash his face into a wall? Without a doubt. But I know he'll always have my back. A brother I never wanted, but wouldn't trade for the world._

 _Gray is the same. He's tormented by his past, at times, and he constantly ends up in his underwear, but he's devoted to his friends. If only he could see how much Juvia truly cares for him. The boy can be so blind at times that even I want to smack him upside the head and say, "Open your eyes, you idiot!"._

 _Of course I can't forget Lucy. At first glance, she doesn't seem strong, or smart, and not all that reliable, but first impressions aren't always right. Lucy's as sharp as the crack of a whip, she's always there for her friends, and she's stronger than even she believes herself to be. She's the glue of our little group, holding us together when we all want to run in several different directions._

 _Then there's little Wendy. She's shy sometimes and easy to fluster, but, as far as children go, she's awfully mature and so sweet. She makes me feel like I need to take responsibility for her sometimes, as if I'm her older sister. Not that I'm complaining. As far as little sisters go...Wendy's got to be one of the best._

 _With her, comes Carla. Carla's got a sharp tongue and there are times when she acts as if she so above everything, but I know better. She's really just always looking out for Wendy. And for her friends. That's something I relate with her on. No pun intended, but despite all her hissing and flashing claws, she's really not a bad sort._

 _Now Happy on the other hand...I worry that he doesn't have a fully functioning brain in his head. Maybe that's a product of having been raised by someone like Natsu. Despite not being the sharpest tool in the shed, he's got a good heart. Him and Natsu are definitely cut from the same cloth, that's for sure._

 _And then there's Thyme. My sweet, constant friend. There was so much I've kept from her over the years, but even when she found out, she never batted an eye. She continued to love me as she's always done. I want so much for her in this life and she deserves all of it and more. If only she could tell Lily how she feels. She deserves love._

 _They all do._

 _I wish I could say that I've given them all I got to give, but the truth is...I've held my full feelings back for so long, that it's going to take me a while to learn how to open up again. And I want to. I want to so badly._

 _Because of_ _ **him**_ _._

 _Laxus Dreyar._

 _Just writing his name has my stomach feeling like there's electricity cracking around in there. It's strange. I'm not sure when I went from seeing him an overly annoy and cocky friend to something more. Maybe it was during the seven years I waited for him to return, or maybe it was during that time with Yuri. More than likely it was the latter more than the former. Chrysalis once told me that children have a way of making males, no matter the species, look at females differently. I'm not entirely sure that's true, but I'm so grateful for Laxus that I don't even have words to describe it. He's been so good to me that it's ridiculous._

 _Even if he is annoying._

 _Most of the time, he acts like this overly confident man who is so above everyone else, but I know he's changed. I've seen it in the way he interacts with others. I feel like everything will be alright when he smiles at me and an encounter with him usually leaves me feeling relaxed, despite starting out annoying. He calms my usually chaotic thoughts and makes me want to smile._

 _I think I...I think I might be in love._

 _I'm not really sure. I've never been in love before and I've only recently come to understand the love of my friends and family. And how would I even know if he has feelings for me as well? I know he flirts, and he's always asking me out, but how do I know if it's true or not?This whole thing confuses me and frustrates me. How do I even began to tell one way or the other?_

 _I just don't know._

 _Not that I have time to really over think it. As of late, my father's shadow has begun to loom over me once more. I knew he was getting close because the fits suddenly got worse and I could feel it in my very bones. My whole body begins to fight against me when the man is near..._ _ **she**_ _begins to fight me._

 _The real Amoreta Banesbloud, the Demon of Tribulation._

 _Oh, yeah, I guess I should explain that a bit._

 _I'm half demon. My father, the cruel creature he is, is a demon, while my mother was human. Apparently, my father thought that mixing human and demon would produce something with the resilience and the access to curses of that of a demon, as well as the access to magic that humans possess. Something that could pass in either world. The thing was...there's no middle ground. You either end up more one or the other._

 _In my case, I ended up more human than my father wanted. I was weak at birth with no real connection to curses. Back then, even my connection to magic was weak. I got sick easily, bruised easily, was quick to cry and quick to back down. I didn't have even an ounce of the stubbornness I have now. The me back then, is so completely different from the me now, but, at the same time, it isn't. We are one and the same, after all. The only difference now is that I'm better at bottling up all of that and hiding it deep down._

 _Beneath the calm indifference, hides the crying child._

 _A lot has changed since my days locked away in the Compound under my father's tyrannical rule, but, at the center of it all, I haven't really changed. Deep down, I know I'm still the same scared, little girl I had been back then. And it is because of that little girl deep down, that I am now afraid._

 _But not for myself._

 _I'm scared for my friends, for my guild and everything I've built during my time in Fairy Tail. Part of me wants to shout that I should have known better from the beginning, but the majority of me can't come to regret joining Fairy Tail. I know I've put them all in an extraordinarily large amount of needless danger, but...I love my guild. The time I've spent with them, has easily been the best in my whole life._

 _So, yes, this particular guild comes with a lot of trails and stupid fights, and yes, the members are, for the most part, less than sane, but they fight for what they believe in, for each other. This guild of rag-tag members, is more like a family than some real, blood related families are. They fight, they laugh, they cry, and they do it all together. When one person suffers, the whole guild suffers. It's because of this guild that I finally understand what it means to let others in to see a side of me that I've never shown to anyone else._

 _It's because of them that I can finally trust others._

 _Life, I know, isn't fair. It has a way of really rubbing salt into open wounds. I've been painfully aware of this truth for as long as I can remember, but that's not always the truth. Life is also full of beauty and love. Sure, there's darkness, but it only makes the light shine brighter. While life might have dealt me a pretty poor hand at birth, maybe it did that so that I could appreciate what good came my way. A lot of people don't appreciate the small things in their lives. A smile from another, a simple kind gesture, or even a quiet day with those around you. Hell, I've even come to appreciate the fights my friends constantly start._

 _I might have had a hard beginning, but life really has made up for it in spades. After all, its given me the greatest gift I've ever received. So, while I feel my father's presence casting a shadow over my life once more, the light of my friends has lit a path I know I need to take. Sitting here, writing this, I can look up at my guild, at the people who have fought with me, who have accepted me despite the truth they've come to learn. I never thought I would find a place in this world for me to belong, but I have._

 _I've lost so much, in the last twenty-four hours. My birth mother, the dragons who raised me...I've only just come to realize how much the three of them loved me, only to lose them, but I won't be sad. They've given me a lot. The magic to get me through life, to protect my loved ones, the ability to continue hoping for the best, and a second chance at life._

 _And I won't waste it._

 _I have a lot ahead of me, that's for sure, but my guild, my family, needs me. I don't relish the punishment I'm going to get from Master Makarov for deceiving him, but in the end, if I accomplish what I'm setting out to do, then I will gladly accept it._

 _It's with that mind set that I'm setting out on a solo adventure of sorts. I'll take Wendy and Carla to Lamia Scale, will pass on the message that Master has given me, and then I will face the future with my shoulders squared and my chin held high._

 _I'm coming for you, Lachlan._

 _And, this time, I won't back down until the job is done._

 _I will come home, though. I won't be throwing my life away again. I have to much waiting for me here in Magnolia. I'll go, and I'll come back._

 _After all, I have a house to rebuild._

 _Forever a fairy,_

 _Rette Starrilia_

Rette had spent the better half of the night writing the letter. She didn't really intend for anyone to find and read the letter, but it helped her to put her feels and thoughts to words. Once written, she had sealed the letter in an envelope and now stood before the broken remains of her house, the envelope in her hands. At the moment, her eyes were locked on the envelope. She hoped, if anyone did find the letter, that it wouldn't be until long after she had left.

She didn't know what she would do if someone found it and came after her.

"Rette!"

Rette turned when she heard her name being called. Standing at the top of the stairs leading down to where the guild hall had use to stand, was Wendy and Carla. The two smiled as they looked at her, waiting for her so that they could depart for Lamia Scale. Rette smiled as she looked at the two. She had a job to do.

Turning, Rette leaned over to tuck the letter under a loose stone in what use to be her front porch. With it safely secured and shielded from the elements, she gave the remains of her home one last look before turning to join her friends.

It was a new day...time to get moving.

END

Kyandi: Yeah, I don't like writing, "Dear Diary" either.

Rette: What does your's say?

Kyandi: "To My Dearest Crazies".

Rette: God, you're so weird.

Kyandi: Tell me something I don't know.

Rette: You really want me to?

Kyandi: No, I don't. I have another chapter to get to, so everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll be right back.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	33. Year X792

Kyandi: I told you we'd be right back!

Rette: This chapter is definitely longer than the last.

Kyandi: Most definitely. I've been working on this a lot lately.

Rette: She's been waiting for this arc.

Kyandi: Yep. While it's the final arc of the series and I'm sad, I've been looking forward to this.

Rette: She has a lot of plans up there in her head.

Kyandi: That I do.

Rette: Then shall we get on with it. You do have another chapter for another story to get up.

Kyandi: Yeah. Everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 57 Year X792

 _Year X792_

A year.

It had been a year since Fairy Tail disbanded. So much had changed for the former members of the guild. Lucy, herself, found herself working as a reporter for Sorcerer Weekly. Today, she covering the fourth day of the Grand Magic Games along side her supervisor, Jason. After feeling down for a while due to the sudden departure of Natsu, Happy, and even Rette, as well as the disbandment of the guild, Lucy had come to realize that everyone had their own paths to take.

It was then that Jason had come to her with a job...as an underwear model.

While she had been good at it, and had plenty of job offers as a model, Lucy really wanted a job that allowed her to write, so Jason hired her. Now she lived Crocus, covering one story or another. So the last year had past in some what peace.

"Okay, so I'll get the article and the layout down, so leave it to me!"

Lucy said this to Jason as the two stood in the crowded area outside the Grand Magic Games arena. They had just finished watching a match that their next article would cover.

"Thanks!" Jason told her. "Hmm...but y'know, this year's Grand Magic Games just doesn't have that...boom to it. Sabertooth, Lamia Scale, Mermaid Heel, none of them came. Blue Pegasus, Quarto Cerberus...and Fairy Tail too."

"Well, that's cause it doesn't exist anymore." Lucy replied.

"But that mark on your hand."

Jason's comment drew her attention down to her hand where she still sported the mark of Fairy Tail.

"It's all over huh...such a shame though." Jason remarked, waving to her as he left.

Lucy thought to herself as she made her way back home. Over the last year, she hadn't kept in touch with everyone. She had been too busy, was her excuse. In truth, though, it was probably because she didn't want to meet them now that everyone had split up and gone their own way. Or more like, she didn't have the courage to see them again. She really did want to see them all again.

It was why she became a reporter, in order to gather information on everyone.

She wanted, more than anything, for everyone to come back together. While she had heard of sightings and rumors about most of the members of Fairy Tail, there were three that she still hadn't been able to track down, hadn't heard a single thing about; Natsu, Happy, and Rette.

But she wouldn't give up.

The next day found her at the Grand Magic Games arena once more for the final event of the tournament. Though Jason was all excited about the final event, Lucy was zoning out, her thoughts miles away from the Games.

"Lucy?"

Lucy blinked in surprise when Jason suddenly leaned into her line of sight, a concerned look on his face. She gave herself a mental shake when she realized she had been spacing out.

"Ah! Sorry, what were you saying?" she asked.

"Look...the battle's about to start!" Jason told her, pointing to the arena below.

"Yeah, but it's all an act." Lucy replied.

"Not really, I mean, Skull Millione's had a rocky start! Who knows, they might just-"

"That's what I'm saying." Lucy said, cutting off Jason. "Sure, Chrisaac's strong, but from what I see, Skull Millione's members are way stronger. They're probably a lot stronger but they're just hiding it. It's probably because they're doing it for the money."

"Huuuuh!?" Jason asked.

Sure enough, it was the members of Skull Millione that won the match. Jason and the crowd went crazy over the win, but Lucy was unimpressed.

"Amazing, Lucy! It's like you said!" Jason cheered.

"Sure, they're strong, but to have them as Fiore's number one..." Lucy trailed off.

Just then, a hush fell over the crowd as a cloaked figure entered the arena. Lucy leaned forward, concerned about this intruder. Then it hit her. Lucy knew the feeling she was getting from this cloaked intruder. Turning to Jason, she demanded he start evacuating the people in the stands, but it was too late. Flames erupted, filling the arena and sending the audience running from the stands. Down below, in the arena, the cloaked intruder challenged Skull Millione's team and attacked. The flames he used were so intense, they were melting everything from the arena itself, to the clothes of those who weren't fast enough to get out of the arena. Even the hood of the intruder's cloak, melted away to reveal a very familiar face.

"Natsu!?" Lucy cried while covering her chest after her top melted away.

"Heya, Lucy! How've ya been!"

The cheerful voice had Lucy turning to find Happy behind her.

"Happy!?" Lucy exclaimed. "What's..."

"Oh man, Natsu said he just had to come here and see the fight. But everyone's out of commission now." Happy said.

Below, Natsu challenged anyone and everyone to come at him. Several others tried their hand and attacked Natsu, but no one stood a chance. In the end, he ended up going over board and destroying the arena. It was only then that Natsu noticed Lucy, his hair, now long, blowing in his face.

"Yo, it's been such a long time, Lucy!" Natsu greeted with a huge grin.

Lucy was over joyed to see Natsu once again. It had been a long time, indeed. Of course, Natsu was arrested and taken to the castle for his interference in the Games, but he was quickly acquitted of all wrong doing. He was released only to find Lucy waiting for him.

"Lucy! You came to see us all by yourself?" Natsu asked.

"Why isn't the rest of Fairy Tail with you?" Happy asked.

"That's right. You don't know, do you...?" Lucy asked.

The confused looks on Natsu's and Happy's faces answered that for her. After a quick relocation, Lucy filled the two of them in on Fairy Tail's disbandment, which put the two of them into a depressed mood.

"Fairy Tail...broke up!?" Natsu asked.

"Wh-wh-wh-why!?" Happy cried.

"It happened the day after you guys left." Lucy told them.

"But why...did they...break up?" Natsu asked.

"I still don't understand it either...can't wrap my head around it at all." Lucy replied.

"Where can I find Gramps?" Natsu demanded. "I'm gonna bash his brains in! Better yet...pluck out what's left of his hair!"

"You could at least leave his mustache." Happy piped in.

"The Master is missing." Lucy informed him.

"What about everyone else!? Erza!? Gray!? Rette!? And the others..." Natsu asked.

"Everyone just went their own, separate ways."

"I...I can't...believe this. Everyone...was okay with the guild...just breaking up like that?"

Natsu couldn't believe this. He couldn't believe that everyone was just alright with the guild breaking up.

"I wonder..." Lucy muttered.

"Well how else could it have happened!? Even if Gramps told them to break up, they could have just refused. Laxus could have easily taken over as the next master." Natsu snapped.

"Do you really have the right to say that, Natsu? After all, you didn't ever think of the guild, did you? You didn't discuss it with anyone when you just went off on your own journey." Lucy replied. When Natsu broke out in a cold sweat, she gave him a smile. "I'm sorry. You and Happy probably had a lot on your mind. I'm sure things were the same for Master and everyone else."

With that said, Lucy invited Natsu and Happy back to her new apartment since they didn't really have anywhere to stay. Natsu and Happy were pleasantly surprised when they saw Lucy's apartment.

"Whoa! This is your crib, Lucy?! So you've been living in Crocus!" Natsu exclaimed.

"It's close to my workplace, so...You probably don't have anywhere to stay do you...I'll let you crash here." she offered.

"Ooo, praise you, my angel!" Natsu said, bowing to Lucy.

"Don't you dare damage anything! And another thing..do **not** set foot into my bedroom, 'kay?" Lucy told them.

Happy, though, was already busy clawing at the wall with his claws. Lucy screamed at him for it while Cancer gave Natsu a much needed hair cut. Natsu then took a bath with Happy, Happy offering for Lucy to join them. Which, of course, she refused. By the end of the night, it almost felt like old times for Lucy. It was that night, after sneaking into Lucy's room because he wanted to draw on her face, that Natsu saw the wall taken up by the articles and notes that Lucy had pinned up there marking sightings of the other members of Fairy Tail.

Seeing how hard she had been working on trying to keep track of the others, Natsu decided what his next action was going to be.

When Lucy awoke the next morning, she found the royal army outside of her house.

"What the hell is the army doing in front of my house at the crack of dawn!?" she snapped.

"Man, did they sniff us out already?" Natsu asked, from behind her.

"This is your doing!?" Lucy demanded.

"Time to haul ass, Lucy!" Natsu said, grabbing Lucy's wrist to drag her after him.

Scooping her up in his arms, Natsu jumped out the window, shattering the glass. He hit the ground running, carrying Lucy as if she was no extra weight at all.

"How did I get sucked into your shenanigans!? You can put me down now!" Lucy yelled. Natsu did as she asked, though the two were still running from the army. "What did you do, Natsu!?"

"I raised the beacon for Fairy Tail's revival." Natsu replied with a wide grin.

The beacon in question was the words, "Fairy Tail" written across the royal castle in flames. If he was going to do it, he might as well do it big.

"That's the least of my worries!" Lucy snapped at him. "Even if you say you want to revive Fairy Tail..."

"We can do it if we just believe. We are gonna go gather everyone up and bring back the guild!" Natsu declared.

Seeing his energized, confident grin, Lucy couldn't help but agree with him. And just like that, their next adventure begun.

-0-0-0-0-

"You don't know where all of them are!?"

Natsu and Happy stared across the table at Lucy. The day found them sitting in the room they had gotten at an inn, checking all the notes Lucy had collected on the whereabouts of their friends.

"Well yeah, I did keep an eye out but it was impossible to get everyone. First things first, we have to reach Magarett Town which is south-east of here. That's Lamia Scale's town apparently." Lucy told him.

"Lyon and Jura's place huh! Just the people I need for a fight!" Natsu said excitedly.

"Yeah. Guess who made it into that Lamia Scale we're talking about?" Lucy said.

Natsu and Happy were surprised when Lucy told them who it was, but, when they arrived at the town in time for Lamia Scale's Thanksgiving celebration, they were forced to believe her upon seeing Wendy up on stage with Chelia.

"Wendy was always really good friends with Chelia so Rette brought them to Lamia Scale when Fairy Tail disbanded." Lucy told Natsu.

On the stage, Chelia and Wendy were preforming to a song as part of the celebration show the guild was putting on for the people of the town.

"What the hell is she doing?" Natsu asked.

"Huh, it kinda sticks in your head, forever." Happy added.

"Wendy isn't the only one that's in another guild you know. Everyone needs jobs." Lucy told Natsu and Happy.

"That's not what I meant." Natsu replied. "Why the hell is she on stage forever-ing!"

"Ah! That's Lamia Scale's Thanksgiving. It's something like a Thanksgiving parade for the people of Magarett. To let the people get a feel of the guild and stuff." Lucy told him.

For a moment, Natsu paused before declaring, "We're taking Wendy back from the dark side!".

"Well, it's not like she's doing anything bad." Lucy replied.

"Huh? Where's Carla by the way?" Happy asked.

"I knew you guys would come soon."

Lucy, Natsu, and Happy turned when someone spoke. Standing behind them was a young girl with white cat ears poking up out of her head and a long white tail bearing a very familiar ribbon tied near the tip.

"Natsu, Lucy, and male cat. Oh...sorry...Happy."

It took the three of them a moment to place the voice and when they did, they stared at her in shock.

"Carla!?"

The girl smiled at them, before turning, inviting them to follow her. She lead them to the guild hall where they were lead to Wendy. Upon seeing her three old friends, Wendy greeted them with tears in her eyes. Natsu patted her head.

"Grown taller, haven't you?" Natsu asked.

"Not really...I haven't changed at all, actually." Wendy replied.

"I see...alright, so we'll be taking you back then!"

With that, Natsu scooped Wendy up and threw her over his shoulder. Wendy, confused, freaked out. In order to calm everyone, and to explain, they all sat down, Wendy holding Happy in her lap.

"You're bringing back Fairy Tail? And getting everyone back together?" Wendy repeated when they were done explaining.

"Yeah...the master's been missing over the past year. I'm sure it's got something to do with the disbandment." Lucy replied.

"Yeah, apparently he got in a lot of trouble with the council over some things." Lyon remarked.

"The council!?" Natsu asked.

"Right, you guys were up in the mountains the whole time so it isn't strange that you don't know." Lucy said, looking at Natsu.

"You can't be the master of a guild if you're part of the council, no?" Yuka asked. "That's why they chose the Ten Wizard Saints as the councilmen."

"Jura become one too!" Tobi yelled.

"Ten Wizard Saints ehh...they must be really strong." Natsu cheered.

"So, the master too..." Happy said.

"He should have but he went missing." Lucy replied.

"Maybe he ran away? I mean..it is a hassle." Natsu remarked. "Well...the old man aside, come with us, Wendy."

"Um...I'm now a part of Lamia Scale. I can't go with you guys." Wendy replied, surprising everyone.

"Why!?" Lucy asked.

"I'm so sorry." was all Wendy could tell them.

"You don't have to feel indebted, you know. We knew this day would come. Even Rette parted from you with saying you would all be back together soon." Lyon told Wendy.

Wendy didn't have anything to say back to that and even when Natsu pressured her for a reason, she couldn't give him one. She just sat there, staring down at the table top.

"This is her decision." Everyone turned to find Carla, still in human form. "Can you stop being so forceful with her?"

"Why are you human now!?" Natsu demanded.

"Oh this? Transformation magic. Learnt it. It helps me strengthen my magic and also my psychic powers." Carla said, before leaning forward to look Happy in the face. "What do you think, Happy?"

"Hey, I went training too...training...Learnt how to...not eat...as much...fish." Happy replied.

"What exactly did you do there?" Lucy asked.

Carla, ignoring this, turned back to her cat form and turned towards Wendy.

"Are you sure that's what you want, Wendy?" she asked.

Wendy merely nodded. It left all of her friends in shock and, feeling dejected, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy returned to their room at the inn.

That night, the Lamia Scale guild hall fell under attack. The attack brought Natsu, Lucy, and Happy running.

"What's all the commotion?" Natsu asked when he found Lyon.

Before Lyon could reply, a large beast appeared behind him. Quickly, Lyon froze the thing, easily stopping the creature.

"It's as you see...a group of monsters got too close to the city and began attacking!" Lyon replied.

"Why?" Happy asked.

"We've always been rivals since way back, our guild and theirs." Chelia said, as she, Wendy, and Carla approached the group.

"Rivals!?" Lucy asked.

"Orochi sure has fallen quite far to be using such cheap attacks." Chelia remarked.

"They must've seen it as an opportunity now that Jura isn't here." Wendy agreed.

"Especially since we've let down our guards because of the Thanksgiving festival." Carla added.

Tobi and Yuka arrived then, slipping past civilians as they ran the other way.

"Lyon! This is only one small faction! We've got a large group coming from the west side! About a hundred thousand!" Tobi yelled.

"A hundred thousand!?" Lucy repeated, wide eyed.

"The city won't stand an attack like that!" Lyon snapped.

"So, Orochi has a monster tamer with them." This came from Lamia Scale's master.

"So if we take him out..." Lyon mused.

"We can't go anywhere near him with that many around." Yuka protested.

"Well there's the sky." Natsu suggested, grinning as he pointed upwards.

"Yes!" Wendy agreed.

"Will you lend us a hand?" Lyon asked.

"Sure! I'm burning up! Let's go Happy!" Natsu cheered.

Happy sprouted his wings in order to take Natsu to the sky, but Chelia hijacked the ride from him just as Carla picked up Wendy.

"Sorry, Natsu!" Chelia called. "Please, Happy, let's keep going!"

Happy wasn't sure what to make of it, but agreed none the less. Chelia was determined to save Lamia Scale, to save her guild, side by side with Wendy. While they went on ahead to the main army, Natsu, now angry after Chelia hijacked Happy, charged into the fight with the monsters, ready to beat something up. Without breaking a sweat, Natsu plowed right through the monsters and continued on to the main army. Despite his massive show of power, there were still hundreds of monsters left to continue on charging the city.

It gave Lucy the chance to show off her new Stardress spell, which gave her some of the powers of the spirit she called forth. In this case, it was Loki. Through this new spell, she could fight along side her spirits. With that, she joined the fight along with the others. Back at the main army, Cheila, Wendy, and Carla ran into trouble when Orochi's master, Blue Note Stinger, a face Wendy had met before on Tenrou Island, stepped into the fight.

Increasing the gravity, he made it where the three couldn't move to fight. He was sure that no one could move under his powers. But, he was wrong. Natsu showed up then, moving just fine and even being able to pick Chelia up by the back of her clothes.

"I found you!" Natsu cheered. "How dare you steal Happy."

"I'm sorry." Chelia said instantly.

"Natsu! This isn't the time for that!" Carla called to him.

"That man is here! The one that caused us so much pain on Tenrou Island." Wendy added.

"Blue Note." Happy piped in.

Natsu turned his attention from Chelia to Blue Note, staring at him for a long moment before he spoke.

"I don't remember him." Natsu replied.

"No way!?" Happy snapped.

Blue Note, finally placing Natsu's face, attacked with all he had, his power increasing and even forcing his guild members to the ground. Natsu confronted Blue Note head on, his flames taking out Blue Note in one blow. With the man out of the way, Natsu turned back to Chelia, finding that he had accidentally burned off most of her clothes.

After seeing Natsu demolish their guild master, the rest of the Orochi guild surrendered. There was no way they were going to go up against someone like Natsu. With their retreat, the monsters retreated as well, leaving the city completely. Natsu and the others returned back to the guild hall.

"Thanks for the help." Lyon told Natsu and Lucy.

"I haven't even gone full on berserk yet." Natsu grumbled.

"No, that was enough, Natsu." Happy told him.

"Where's Wendy and Chelia?" Lucy asked.

"Apparently they've got something to discuss." Yuka told them.

And discuss, they did.

When Natsu, Lucy, and Happy left the next day, Wendy and Carla went with them.

-0-0-0-0-

"Hey, where will we be going next?"

After leaving Magarett, the group of five found themselves traveling over a rocky trail. It was there that Happy asked the question. Lucy pulled out a paper, reading over it.

"Let's see...There's this village east of here called Rainfall Town." Lucy remarked.

"Rain?" Happy asked.

"Yeah, apparently, it rains all the time in that village." Lucy replied.

They all knew who that meant.

Juvia.

And where Juvia was, there was bound to be Gray.

When they arrived in Rainfall Town, they found a massive storm cloud that hovered only over one place, pouring rain down on the ground below. It was obvious that it wasn't natural.

"Woah...look at that rain. And it's only in one place." Lucy remarked.

"It's so weird." Wendy remarked.

When they entered the village, they found not a single person in sight. It was as if everyone had abandoned the town.

"There's not even a shadow here." Lucy remarked.

"Hmm...maybe nobody lives here anymore." Wendy suggested.

"Nope, I can smell Juvia that way." Natsu said, pointing ahead of them.

Sure enough, they found Juvia, out in the rain, sitting on a bench. She looked up at them, her eyes widening in surprise when they called out to her. Though, in her hazy brain, she only saw Gray coming for her. She jumped up, excited, and jumped at what she thought was Gray, but was really Natsu. Natsu held up a hand, stopping her.

"Calm down." he told her. "Yo! How've ya been?"

"I'm glad you're still the same." Lucy added.

"It's been so long, Juvia!" Wendy greeted.

"Natsu...Lucy and Wendy too." Juvia said softly.

"Are you living here all by yourself?" Carla asked.

When Carla asked this, Juvia's eyes filled with tears before her cheeks flushed and she collapsed. Natsu caught her and they carried her back to the house where she lived, putting her into bed after drying her off.

"She's got a really bad fever." Wendy said.

"Well, she's been in the rain this whole time...it's really not surprising." Carla remarked.

"Wonder if this is Juvia's home." Lucy remarked, looking around.

"Hmm...it kinda smells like Gray too." Natsu remarked.

"Gray's been here too?" Happy asked.

"Juvia once...lived together...with Gray." Juvia said, coughing between words. "Alone."

"Wow, she's really proud of herself." Lucy said when Juvia added the last word with a big smirk.

"We ate together...trained together...worked together...slept together..."

"Unnecessary information!" Lucy snapped.

"Well...tried to, but he kicked me out." Juvia amended. "We were happy, but then one day..." Juvia told them of a day when black marks started to spread from Gray's right arm to the rest of his body. "And from that day onwards, he'd frequently go out alone. And he stopped coming back altogether...this was half a year ago."

"What a bastard, leaving you all alone." Natsu said sourly.

"That's funny coming from you." Lucy told him.

"We left a will, didn't we?" Natsu retorted.

"Natsu, it's a note, not a will." Happy corrected him.

"Either way, you technically did leave us all behind as well, you know." Lucy told Natsu, making him sweat under the realization. "And those left behind..."

"Get a room, you two." Juvia called from the bed.

"Hey!" Lucy snapped.

"So you don't know where Gray is now?" Happy asked Juvia.

"She wouldn't be here if she knew, would she?" Carla replied.

"Juvia tried looking for him for days. But Gray was nowhere to be found. So Juvia decided to wait. This is where Juvia and Gray had such happy times. Juvia's sure Gray will come home eventually." Even as she said this, tears flowed down her face, betraying how much she missed Gray. "Juvia's sorry you had to see her like this."

"I'll find him for you." Natsu promised. "No wait, I'll definitely find him. I'm bringing everyone back together. So we can be a guild again."

With that promise, Juvia was finally able to sleep.

"Juvia's finally asleep." Wendy remarked as they stepped outside under the over hanging of the house.

"You said you'd find him but do you even know where to start?" Carla asked.

"I don't have anything on his whereabouts in my memos." Lucy added.

"What's wrong, Natsu? Your face is scary." Happy remarked as he looked up at his partner's serious face.

"It's somewhere around here, wasn't it...We're going to Sabertooth." Natsu replied.

"HUH!?"

With his mind made up, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy left Wendy and Carla to look after Juvia, and headed out for the Sabertooth guild. It didn't take them too long to get there.

"There it is! It's huge!" Lucy called, peering out over the city towards the towering building that was the Sabertooth guild hall. "Hey, Natsu...are you sure Sabertooth has information on Gray?"

"Can't say for sure." Natsu replied.

"What do you mean by that?" Lucy asked.

With that, Natsu spun in his seat atop the beast they were riding, so that he was facing Lucy, leaving the reins free. Something that made Lucy very uncomfortable. They could run into something if he didn't turn back around.

"Listen up, Lucy..."

"Hey! Turn back! The front! The front!" Lucy yelled.

"I believe in Gray. But this time, I won't get any information unless I stop trusting in him." Natsu continued as if she hadn't said anything.

"I don't understand what you're saying but...turn to the front!" Lucy told him.

"It means I'll stop trusting him until I find him...that's it." Natsu told her.

"I still don't get it!"

"Lucy...I will definitely bring Gray back. This I promise you. So until then, don't ask."

Lucy was surprised, but she did trust Natsu. Instead of replying to his remark, though, she grabbed his face and forcefully turned his head back around.

"Look forwards, stupid!" she snapped.

When they made it to the guild hall, Yukino was the one that greeted them, all smiles.

"Yukino! It's been such a long time! How've you been?" Lucy asked.

"I'm good! Thanks." Yukino replied.

"Heh, all the jobs from Fairy Tail got sent over." Orga called from where he sat.

"Thanks to you guys, business has been well." Rufus added.

Despite the fact that Orga and Rufus were just teasing, Yukino instantly became frazzled, waving her hand in front of her. She hadn't meant it the way her guild mates had made it out to be. She had merely meant that she, personally, had been well.

"Uh...That's not what I meant." Yukino said hurriedly.

"I know. Plus, Fairy Tail's coming back anyway!" Lucy said.

"Really!? I'm really looking forward to it!" Yukino said, tears falling down her face.

"You don't have to cry over it." Lucy told her.

"Huh, I thought this voice sounded familiar!"

Hearing a new voice join the conversation, Natsu turned only to be confronted with an overly large Sting. The guy had to be, at least, twice his original size. It had Lucy staring at him, wide eyed, but Natsu didn't seem to register the change in appearance.

"It's Natsu and Lucy!" Sting greeted cheerfully.

"And Happy too!" Lector cheered.

"Yo, Sting!" Natsu greeted.

"You haven't changed a bit, Natsu." Sting said.

"Heh, you too!" Natsu replied.

"No way, he changed alright!" Lucy popped in.

"Huh, where's Carla? Wasn't she supposed to be with you?" Lector asked.

"Well, what about Forsch? Isn't he with you?" Happy replied.

"Frosch is on a mission with Rogue and the Missus."

Hearing this out of Lector's mouth, Natsu pounced on the exceed, grabbing him by the face and demanding to know where Forsch had gone. Something that didn't please Sting.

"What're you doing to Lector, Natsu?" Sting demanded.

Natsu ignored him, focusing in on Lector.

"I...dunno." Lector told Natsu. "But...it hasn't been that long since they left, they might be at the town's entrance."

"I see. Thanks, Lector!"

With that, Natsu was gone in the flash, leaving Lucy and Happy behind without a word as to what he was doing.

"What did he want?" Sting asked.

Lucy turned to Sting and freaked when she saw that he was back to his normal size.

"He's back to normal!" she yelped.

"Well, it was getting to be too much so I had to use Libra's powers on him." Yukino told her.

Well that explained that. Lucy gave her head a shake.

"We have to go too." she said, calling for Happy.

With that, Lucy turned and headed after Natsu with Happy on her heels. They caught up with Natsu just as he grabbed Rogue and insisted they have a chat, pulling the other male away from Forsch and Minerva.

"Wait up!" Lucy called to Natsu.

"Fro will join too!" Frosch cheered.

"All of you, stay there! We need to talk in private!" Natsu yelled as he dragged Rogue away.

This left the two women and two exceeds to just wait for them to finish their conversation. Minerva and Lucy looked at each other with curious expressions, but they decided to leave it as it was for the moment.

"Long time no see." Minerva greeted.

"Yeah...it's nice that you're back in the guild now." Lucy replied.

"Did you say hi to everyone back at the guild?" Minerva asked.

"Yeah, just a while back. What was up with Sting?" Lucy asked.

"Hmm...we had our annual Saber Eating Competition, the Tora-Tora-Tora!" Minerva answered.

"Ah, so that's why he was so puffed up."

"Well, it was me that won though."

Lucy couldn't imagine eating enough to beat a Dragon Slayer like Sting. It made her queasy just to think about it.

"Was that why you guys didn't join the Games?" Lucy asked.

"No, our master said it wasn't worth joining if Fairy Tail isn't in it." Minerva replied.

"Fro thinks so too."

For a moment, silence fell between them before Minerva spoke once more.

"It's sad that Fairy Tail is no more. It really was a good guild." Minerva remarked.

With a grin on her face, Lucy showed her the Fairy Tail emblem she still proudly wore on the back of her hand.

"It isn't over yet. The guild still exist in our hearts." Lucy said.

"That's good." Minerva said.

A good distance away from them, Natsu had finally released Rogue deeming them to be a good distance away. Rogue rounded on Natsu, crossing his arms over his chest.

"After such a long time, the first thing you do is this!?" Rogue demanded.

"Lemme see your work request!" Natsu demanded instantly.

"Huh?"

"Just lemme see it!" Natsu snapped.

Rogue didn't get what was going on, but he dug the request out of his bag and handed it to Natsu. Natsu stared down at the request asking for help in destroying a group called Avatar.

"This...I'll do this." Natsu declared.

"Huh!? This is Sabertooth...Hey, you aren't even in a guild anymore!" Rogue snapped.

"I'm in Fairy Tail." Natsu replied back casually. "Listen, Rogue...I'll do the job for you and you can have the rewards. So promise me...you and Frosch...don't leave town. Until I come back...just don't!"

"You're crazy..." Rogue retorted.

Before he could argue anymore, Natsu took off. When he reached where Lucy, Minerva, Frosch, and Happy waited, he grabbed Lucy's wrist and scooped up Happy.

"Let's go, Lucy, Happy!" he yelled, running off while dragging Lucy behind him. "Minerva, keep an eye on Rogue and Frosch! Don't let them out of the town."

With that, he left them behind. He had a very good reason for this. A year ago, after they had defeated Future Rogue, he had told Natsu not only of Rette's death thanks to her father's reappearance in her life, but of one other event. He had told Natsu that in a year...Gray would kill Frosch. Natsu didn't want to believe that Gray would do such a thing, but after the prediction about Rette had come true, he wasn't taking any chances. Besides, Natsu knew one thing for sure.

"Fairy Tail needs Gray!"

END

Kyandi: Personally, I would have been on the floor laughing when I saw Sting.

Rette: Yes, well, you like to laugh at people.

Kyandi: That's...true. Come on, you can't say you wouldn't be laughing.

Rette: ...Maybe a little.

Kyandi: See? But you have to admit, even fat, he's still kind of cute.

Rette: A little.

Laxus: ...

Rette: Oh, Laxus. When did you get here?

Kyandi: I don't think he's happy.

Rette: What makes you say that?

Laxus: ...*glares fiercely*...

Kyandi: Just a hunch...Anyway, I have another chapter for another story to get up.

Rette: We'll return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	34. Undercover

Kyandi: Greetings, Kyandiacs!

Rette: Kyandi-sama is getting to update early this week.

Kyandi: Courtesy of my all too lovely best friend.

Rette: Best friends are nice to have.

Kyandi: Yes they are. And to top it off, I should be able to update again in a few days.

Rette: She's working hard on finishing this story.

Kyandi: I'll be sad when it's over but, I enjoyed writing this story.

Rette: I'm sure you did.

Kyandi: So, everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 58 Undercover

When they had finally cleared Sabertooth's town, Natsu finally came to a stop in the woods. It was there that he informed his two friends that they would be completing a job for Rogue. He even handed over the flyer to Happy to look at.

"What's this Avatar thing that Rogue was suppose to go after?" Happy asked.

"Dunno." Natsu replied.

"Apparently, it's a cult filled with Zeref's followers that has been on the rise ever since the fall of the dark guilds." Lucy told them.

"Zeref!?" Natsu asked.

"Well, I don't know if he himself has anything to do with it, but...they all worship him like he's some kind of god there." Lucy explained.

"Zeref's underlings, huh? Alright, I'm all fired up!"

"That aside, how'd Rogue's job have anything to do with Gray's whereabouts?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah...what's that about?" Happy asked.

Natsu made a thinking face then, actually attempting to use his brain for once. Something that surprised both Lucy and Happy.

"Huh, he's using his brains for a change." Happy remarked.

"So he really can't tell us." Lucy said.

"Hmm...I think I'll tell you anyway. Future Rogue told me so." Natsu declared.

"Future Rogue?" Lucy asked.

"A year after the Grand Magic Games...which means somewhere around now...we'll be meeting Gray, but as an enemy." Natsu told them.

"An enemy!?"

"That's why it's got me thinking, "Hey, maybe we'll meet him there". You know...where's Rogue's suppose to be." Natsu explained.

"But the future from where Future Rogue came should've change by now...how can the same thing happen here now?" Lucy asked.

"His warning about Rette came true."

Lucy froze at the reminder. She still remembered that awful day when she felt her friend's magic energy just suddenly die and vanish from the earth. Rette had given her life for her guild, had willing parted with her life, just as Future Rogue had foretold.

But she hadn't stayed dead, as she had in his time line, something that Lucy pointed out.

"Well, if you point that out, then I really can't be that sure but this is all we've got for now." Natsu said.

"But an enemy?" Lucy asked.

"Remember what Juvia said? About him getting dark marks on himself...he had those on him when he was battling Mard Geer. It could've been because he had to learn how to use his Demon Slayer magic as quickly as possible...maybe he let some of that evil stuff get inside him as well." Natsu theorized.

"No way..."

Lucy couldn't believe this, but it all made sense. It explained why Natsu had taken the job from Rogue, had wanted him and Frosch to stay at home. While Lucy was thinking this, Natsu dropped a hand on her head, pulling her from her thoughts. She looked up at him.

"Don't worry. Gray's still our friend, no matter what happens." Natsu assured her.

With an agreement from Lucy, the three of them moved on. It took a while, but they finally located the building deep in the woods that served as the headquarters for Avatar.

"I see it, there!" Natsu announced.

"It looks like an old, abandoned church." Lucy remarked.

"What do we do, Natsu?" Happy asked.

With Natsu, there was ever only one real answer to a question like that.

"Attack, of course!"

With a yell to charge, Natsu and Happy started forward, only to be yanked to a halt by Lucy. She dragged the two back, pulling them to the ground to stop them. Annoyed, Natsu turned to look at Lucy.

"What the hell, Lucy." he snapped.

"We don't even know who we're up against this time. We can't just barge in like that." Lucy told him.

"But...Gray might be in there, y'know." Natsu reminded her.

"That's precisely why we need a plan. We've got to prepare ourselves." Lucy argued logically.

"Oh. Right."

"We'll sneak in from under them with Virgo's help!" Lucy suggested, pulling Virgo's key out.

Natsu seemed totally sold on the idea and Lucy called forth Virgo. When she showed up, though, she was tied up. After a brief moment of staring, Lucy and Natsu rushed to her side to untie her.

"H...hey! What happened? Are you okay?" Lucy asked.

"Who did this to you?" Natsu demanded.

"Don't mind me. I had some free time so I decided to punish myself." Virgo replied.

"What's...wrong with you..." Lucy demanded.

Sometimes, Lucy had to wonder about the sanity of her spirits, for it seemed they possessed none. Virgo chief among those with no sanity to speak of. At least in Lucy's mind.

"Wow, you celestial spirits sure are profound." Natsu remarked, Happy agreeing.

"It's been a long time." Virgo greeted.

With the greetings and weirdness out of the way, Lucy used her Stardress spell to transform, ending her up in a maid outfit. Natsu and Happy's jaws dropped when they saw this, having not seen it when she had used it during the fight back in Maragrett.

"She transformed!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Huh, she kinda reminds me of a certain scary armored figure..." Happy added.

"This dress enables her to use parts of my powers and raise her own magic as well." Virgo explained.

Explanation out of the way, Virgo dug them a tunnel into the basement of the base.

"We've successfully made it in." Lucy said as she started climbing out of the hole first.

"Hey, move your ass aside!" Natsu snapped at her.

"Look, Natsu, you can see Lucy's underwear from here." Happy added.

Lucy ignored the comment, continuing on as if she hadn't heard it. She climbed out of the hole, making room for Natsu and Happy to do the same.

"We need to find out more about Gray while keeping out of sight." Lucy remarked.

Natsu, though, had different plans.

" **GRAYYY! I KNOW YOU'RE HERE! COME OUT WHERE EVER YOU ARE!** "

So much for the element of surprise.

Lucy jumped at Natsu, grabbing him by the face.

"Why did you do that! Don't you understand, we're supposed to be sneaking in, s-n-e-a-k-i-n-g!" she snapped at him.

"It's time for punishment, isn't it, Princess?" Virgo asked, before pulling out a very questionable device. "Please try this out on me then."

"He's here." Natsu speaking kept the current line of conversation from continuing. "I can smell him. He's here..."

"Gray's here?" Lucy asked.

"Hey, what are you doing in our base?"

All three looked upwards, their eyes finding the small person sitting on a ledge above their heads. The guy looked like he had to be child and he held a voodoo doll in his hands that rang some familiar bells with Lucy.

"This fun for you? Is that even fun?" he asked.

"That doll...!?" Lucy exclaimed.

"It's Noro-san!" Happy yelled.

"Oh! You know Noro-san, now that's interesting!" the guy, Abel, said, jumping from his spot. "This doll here, was a gift from some bigwig at Grimoire Heart. The world's full of really interesting black magic."

"Urgh...this bring's back bad memories." Lucy remarked, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Be careful! His powers are not to be trifled with despite looking like that." Virgo warned.

Not that Natsu ever listened to warnings. He walked right up to the guy and slammed a fiery fist into his head, driving him into the ground. This shocked, not only the guy he hit, but his friends as well, who couldn't believe he had just walked up to an enemy and laid him out.

"Sorry, but the only one I have a beef with right now is Gray." Natsu told the guy.

"Abel!"

A sudden yell made Natsu turned as another guy ran into the room. Seeing his comrade laid out on the floor, he slapped a hand to his face. When he removed his hand, he glared at Natsu before he called forth the assistance of the torturing devices that filled the room.

"How dare you do this to Abel, intruders! However, for you to appear in my training room, it must be my lucky day! Prepare for a never ending torture session!"

Natsu easily avoided the attacking objects with several flips. From the sidelines, Virgo watched with wide, sparkling eyes, her cheeks coloring.

"Why are you getting so excited over it!" Lucy snapped.

Lucy's attention snapped back to the fight when it looked like Natsu was about to be wrapped up inside an iron maiden. The thing snapped shut around him, but, instead of hurting Natsu, the thing begun to melt. With his enemy too shocked to respond, Natsu laid him out with a single punch to the face. With his back turned, another enemy dropped from the ceiling, Natsu taking care of him with a single kick. In the matter of just a few minutes, Natsu had taken care of three enemies all on his own.

"He's...strong." Virgo remarked.

"That's our Natsu!" Happy replied proudly.

"Im-impossible...we're all powerful black mages. How could a brat like that..."

This grumble came from the second enemy as he sagged in his spot.

"He isn't someone that can be defeated by the likes of you."

A familiar voice had Natsu and his friends turning towards the top of the stairs leading up out of the basement room they were currently in. Standing there, his hair slicked back form his face and black marks slashing up his neck and across the right side of his face, was Gray.

"I'll deal with this one myself." Gray said.

"Yo. You been doing well?" Natsu asked, a grin spreading across his face.

Without another words spared, the two, as they always did when they met, came to blows, the two punching each other across the face. The two of them fighting, wasn't new. The amount of power they now had behind their punches, was. They slid apart, Natsu grinning at finally having a worthy fight to fight.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" Gray demanded, attacking again.

Natsu blocked his next punch easily.

"Right back at ya!" Natsu retorted.

"I do what I want." Gray snapped as Natsu attacked with a kick that sent him sliding back away from Natsu.

"Juvia's waiting for you, bastard!" Natsu snapped. "I'm waiting for you." Natsu followed up his kick with a fiery punch that barely skimmed past Gray who side stepped it. "And we need you to bring back Fairy Tail!"

At that, Gray hit Natsu hard across the face, his teeth gritting.

"This is stupid. Fairy Tail is no more!" Gray yelled.

In his show of anger, ice exploded from Gray, covering the floor in icy spikes. Natsu fought them off with his flames.

"That's what they all say, but all the memories and bonds we shared are still there. Fairy Tail's right here." Natsu said, pounding a fist over his heart. "Has been and will always be."

"Your solution's right there, isn't it? If it's as you say, then you'd have no need for me, so leave me alone won't you? I will go my way, you go yours." Gray replied. "Fairy Tail is no longer a part of me. So could you please drop the whole BFF act with me?"

Gray's eyes shifted from Natsu to Lucy as she stepped forward. She walked over to Gray, her mouth sat in a firm line and when she stood in front of him...she slapped him across the face. As if it didn't hurt him in the least, he looked back down at her.

"BFF act!? It wasn't an act! We're comrades till the end!" Lucy snapped at him. "Please don't say things like that! I don't want to hear it. I...we...u...urgh..."

A sudden wave of pain through her stomach, drove Lucy to her knees, her arms wrapped around her stomach. What the hell was going on?

"My...my stomach...it hurts..." she gasped.

"Lucy!" Natsu called her name in concern.

Without turning to face the new person who had entered the fight, Gray knew who it was.

"Mary." he greeted.

A woman appeared behind him, smiling brightly.

"Who are you people? Gray's friends from before? The ones from that guild that no longer exists?" she asked.

"What did you do to her!?" Natsu demanded.

Both Natsu and Virgo found themselves suddenly bound as one of the enemies Natsu had already dealt with, bounced back, binding them with magic seals. When Happy tried to help them, Abel stopped him with his voodoo doll. Natsu wasn't please at all, especially given the pain Mary was currently making Lucy go through. He jumped towards Gray, intending to continue the fight, despite not being able to use his magic. He was stopped when another enemy showed up, holding a sword tip to Lucy.

"This is what you get for sticking your nose into other people's business, Natsu." Gray told him.

"Snap out of it, Gray! You're being possessed by a demon!" Natsu yelled.

"I'm perfectly sane." Gray said, sliding his jacket off his shoulders, showing where the Avatar emblem now replaced his Fairy Tail emblem. "I destroyed that 'family link' of ours of my own accord. Now does that answer your question?"

Natsu growled as he glared at Gray. With that dealt with, all three were shackled in magic seals and locked up in a cell.

"Are you feeling okay now, Lucy?" Happy asked.

"Yeah...I'm good." Lucy replied.

"Where's Virgo?" Happy inquired.

"She's been sent back because of the sealing stone." Lucy replied.

"That damn Gray...what the hell happened to him." Natsu grumbled.

"There must be a reason for this. He could've been possessed by something...or...or...maybe he's under someone's control." Lucy said, trying to think of some reason Gray would betray them.

"Yeah...Gray wouldn't do something like this." Happy added, sure of that.

Lucy looked up then, glancing towards the bars of the cell.

"Someone's coming." she said.

The man who had used the torturing devices in his magic, Goumon, appeared in front of the cell. Facing away from the bars, he suddenly bowed.

"He's bowing even though there's nobody in front of him!" Lucy remarked.

"Creepy!" Happy agreed.

Natsu flew past Lucy, ramming the bars, though it didn't have any effect.

"Where's Gray!? Bring him here!" Natsu demanded.

"Gray, along with everyone else, isn't here anymore. They've all gone to prepare for the purification ritual and I've come here to get some information from you, even if it means by force." Goumon replied.

"Purification ritual?" Happy asked.

"The purification of the soul. And death is the only way of attaining it. And the smell of death will only bring Zeref closer to us." Goumon said.

"Don't involve Gray in strange things!" Lucy snapped.

"Hmm? So you've noticed...that...that I've been cosplaying as Lord Zeref." Goumon said, out of the blue.

"Who cares!" Lucy yelled.

"My admiration for him is so strong that I got this done back in the east." Goumon said, pointing to the tattoo on his forehead. "I don't really know much about kanji but apparently it's read as Zeref."

"Uh...no? That's read as matchi." Lucy corrected him.

Embarrassed, Goumon rounded on her, shouting, "Sh-shut up, little girl!". With a wave of his hand, Lucy's cuffs yanked her off the ground, hanging her from the ceiling.

"Lucy! That freak...he's controlling the things in here!" Happy exclaimed.

"Let go of her!" Natsu demanded.

For their outburst, Goumon commanded their cuffs to pin them to the wall, leaving them unable to touch him as he entered the cell.

"Just stay there and watch. My torture show." Goumon told them, approaching Lucy.

Natsu and Happy fought to break free of their cuffs as Goumon rolled in a covered tray. When he removed the sheet covering it, it revealed all kinds of tools used for torturing people.

"These are all anti-magic restraints, you see." Goumon said, gesturing to the cuffs.

Lucy gulped and flinched when Goumon picked up one nasty looking tool after another.

"Whipping. Candle wax dripping. Watering...roping...Or even the licking of your feet. Where oh where should I start first?" Goumon mused.

"You're...you're sick!" Lucy snapped, Goumon bowing to nothing once again. "And stop bowing in places where there's no one else in front of you! It's creepy!"

"Alright, I've got it. We'll start with the licking! It hurts the least!" Goumon said suddenly.

"No way! Just the sound of it..."

Lucy was too creeped out to finish that sentence. This guy just got weirder and weirder.

"I see, you don't seem to understand why it's classified as torture. We start with dipping the soles of the feet in salt water in a fixed position. And then a goat will start licking the soles for the salt content. But as time goes by, the barbs on the tongue of the goat will tear through the skin and to the meat. Even then, the goat won't stop and will keep going." Goumon explained.

"That seems to hurt more than imagined." Happy remarked as he and Natsu stared at Goumon in horror.

"So let's try it out?" Goumon remarked, picking up one of Lucy's legs.

He pulled off her shoe and yanked off the stocking, baring her leg. Lucy cried for him not to, reasonably not liking the sound of the torture. Goumon removed her other shoe and stocking and bound her feet together.

"So tell me, who sent you here. Before the feet of this girl are no more." Goumon demanded, setting Lucy up.

"I told you! We're here to take Gray back!" Natsu yelled.

"Don't make me repeat myself, boy! Gray is now our comrade." Goumon replied.

He dunked Lucy's feet in salt water, bringing in the goat. Lucy tried to fight her way free of her restraints as the goat got closer.

"No. He's our friend. And if he doesn't believe in himself, then we will." Natsu retorted.

"Shut up!" Goumon snapped.

Deciding the feet licking wasn't bad enough, Goumon comanded Lucy's restraints to spread her limbs, pulling her legs apart while yanking her arms over her head.

"What are you going to do?" Happy demanded.

"We're not going to do the licking anymore! I'm just going to split her in half!" Goumon yelled, grabbing an ax. "Let's see if you still 'believe' in Gray!"

Right before the ax could cut Lucy in two, Goumon was flash frozen, freezing him on the spot. Gray appeared behind Goumon as all three of his friends were released from Goumon's magic restraints.

"Ah, dammit! All that hard work, gone because of you people." Gray muttered, pulling a small, hand held device from his pocket. He entered something on the screen and then held it to his ear. "This is a code blue. We've got trouble. No...That's not it...yeah..."

As Gray spoke into the device, the markings on his body started to recede, revealing that his Fairy Tail mark still remain and had simply been hidden under the marks.

"I don't know...you talk to him...yeah." Gray tossed the device to Natsu. "Put that to your ear."

"What the hell's this?" Natsu asked, doing as told.

" _Is that you, Natsu._ "

The voice that sounded over the communication device, was too familiar for Natsu not to place. He glanced at Gray in surprise. It was Erza.

" _My, my. Now what have you done to Gray's undercover mission?_ " Erza asked.

"Undercover mission?" Natsu repeated.

"That's right. There's no way I'd join some creepy guild like this anyway. You do realize that Rette would kill me if she thought I had honestly joined a guild devoted to Zeref, right?" Gray replied.

" _We don't have time now, so we'll talk while we move. I found out about Avatar and how it was connected to Zeref half a year back, while I was looking for Rette. With some help from Jellal, of course. I figured anything related to Zeref would eventually lead us to Rette. But we hit a dead end and it was then I met Gray._ " Erza explained as they gathered up a couple of beasts and set out.

"Hey, that lacrima's amazing." Natsu remarked.

"It's a miniature communications lacrima." Gray told him. "I began getting these weird marks on me so I've been going over to old lady Porlyusica's place. And well, it's as you see. I've learnt to control it."

" _And then we talked about how we were, then we came up with this plan._ " Erza added.

"I guess you could call it a request from Erza. After all, I was interested in the Book of END personally, with my old man's last request being "destroy it" and, of course, I want Rette back, too. I can't believe we all just let her walk away alone like that." Gray remarked.

In that, they had all been less than mindful. They had all been caught up in their own things and had completely forgotten about the flight risk that Rette had posed at the moment.

"But man, you didn't even tell Juvia about this? You're a jerk." Natsu told Gray bluntly.

" _I told him not to._ " Erza said, covering for the silence Natsu had gotten from Gray. " _It's always better to have less people know about the mission, as it raises the rate of success and one could never tell...what if she had gotten into trouble over it?_ "

"So it was for Juvia's sake too." Happy said.

"But still..."

Natsu still didn't like the sound of it. Not when it had caused Juvia months of grief and had left her so ill. Nothing was worth a friend's health.

" _I do feel sorry for Juvia. We didn't think that the mission would drag out this long. The situation has changed. It was only supposed to be a scouting mission at first, but then came the whole...purification ritual mess. Avatar is planning on wiping out an entire town to lure Zeref here. Because they, for some reason, seem to think that Zeref appears in places where death is abundant._ " Erza explained.

"We've gotta stop that from happening!" Gray declared.

"Well, all you've got to do is crush them! Easy! If it were you and Erza, there wouldn't be a problem!" Natsu remarked.

"No, we can't." Natsu turned his head to look at Gray's serious expression. He didn't quite get it and Gray could see that in his questioning expression. "Avatar isn't an organization small enough for us to just 'crush' it. It's size alone is more than we've ever imagined. I've only infiltrated one small part of it. I still haven't gotten anything on the main branch's location, or even the other branches."

" _And if we make any careless moves, we could lose the chance to stop the whole ritual. That's why we've been waiting up till now._ " Erza added.

"Yeah, for the day when all the branches get together. And destroy them all once and for all." Gray said firmly, before turning to look over his shoulder at Lucy. "Lucy. Hey, I'm sorry about what I said just now...I had to in front of them."

"Oh no, I'm sorry too for hitting you." Lucy apologized.

"Well, having a maid hit me though...hahaha..." This remark from Gray, had Lucy going red in the face as she tried to remark, but couldn't put a sentence together. "I still think of you guys as my friends, you know."

"That's great to hear." Lucy told him, smiling happy.

"Now that makes our job easier. Let's go wreck that ritual together then!" Natsu declared with a wide grin on his face.

Lucy and Happy agreed, while Erza commented that she and Gray hadn't wanted to get them involved. Not, at least, until they had any concrete information on where Rette might be.

"It doesn't matter if we did or we didn't! We're gonna fight together again! It's been a year since! And there's nothing more we can say now other than...I'm all fired up!" Natsu declared, Gray, Lucy, and Erza joining him in saying the last four words.

-0-0-0-0-

Malba Town, a peaceful, sinless town of thirty thousand people, was the target of Avatar. Natsu and his friends, with Gray's intel, were able to get to the town before Avatar's massive army. It was Natsu, Happy, Lucy, and Gray that the followers were met with as they charged the unsuspecting town. The moment the first wave hit them, people went flying as Natsu and his friends let loose.

"You ain't getting past me! So come at us!" Natsu declared, clearing a circle around himself before turning to Gray. "I hope you've been training."

"Wanna try it out later?" Gray taunted.

Grinning at each other, they charged into the fight, laying out one enemy after the other. While they demolished all those from the front, Erza gained ground on the back. Between the five of them, they begun to reduce the number of their enemies. Throughout the fight, they even took on the generals of Avatar with Erza taking down Jerome while Gray took on Braiya and Lucy engaged in a fight with Mary. Lucy's fight, though, was starting to go south when Wendy and Carla showed up, countering Mary's magic to help Lucy. With that help, Lucy was able to overcome Mary's magic.

Not long after Wendy and Carla joined in on Lucy's fight, Juvia made an appearance in Gray's fight. With her appearance, Braiya was quickly defeated and Gray, feeling bad, offered Juvia an apology for all he had put her through during the months he had been missing. He promised her an explanation later before, with a habit he had now passed to Juvia, the two of them stripped off their tops to fight together.

At this point, they had severely diminished the amount of enemies and Natsu confronted their leader, Arlock. Arlock proved to be stronger than the others under his command, but Natsu wasn't going to let anything stop him. He crashed through one of Arlock's magic barriers after another until he laid the old man out. It looked like Natsu had beaten the man, but Arlock turned the tables by sacrificing the lives of his followers to summon one of the eighteen gods of Yakma.

Natsu, ticked off because of Arlock's lack of consideration for his comrades, attacked the god with all he had, but when he went to land the finishing blow, he wasn't the only one that hit the god. Something, in a beam of light, fell from the sky, hitting the top of the god's horned head right along side Natsu. Between the combined force, they demolished the god.

As Arlock's remaining followers scattered to the wind, Natsu, in surprise, turned to the person that had assisted him. Whoever it was, stood up as well, the smoke clearing to reveal long, pale silver hair. Natsu instantly thought of the one other person he knew that had hair that color. Excited, Natsu didn't even notice when Gajeel and Lily showed up, leading a squad of Magic Council soldiers.

"Rette!"

Natsu called her name as he ran towards the person who had helped him. His yelled called his friends attentions, making them turn towards him, hoping it really was Rette. Just then, the wind shifted, blowing the smoke away to completely reveal the person.

And it wasn't Rette.

Natsu came up short when it was confronted with, not Rette, but a young guy who had to be about sixteen or seventeen years old. He was only perhaps a few inches taller than what Rette was, was slim but muscled and was clothed in black pants tucked into knee-high boots, a black shirt with three quarter sleeves and a stretched out collar, and a cut off, pale purple tank top worn over the shirt and black gloves. His hair, which was the same color as Rette's, fell just a few inches short of his hips. It was currently tied at the nape of his neck, leaving his shoulder length bangs hanging to either side of his face.

He turned towards Natsu when Natsu yelled out Rette's name. Natsu and his friends were further surprised when they were confronted with a face that was similar to Rette's, though more masculine. To further their shock...his eyes were exactly likes Rette's, right down to the lavender edges to the magenta of his irises.

He eyed Natsu, turning to completely face him. His head tilted to the side, just as Rette's would sometimes do.

"Who the hell are you and why do you look like Rette!?" Natsu demanded.

The guy's eyes narrowed and his head tilted backwards. Then his eyes snapped to the side as Gajeel approached the group. With him, he had Lily, Levy, and a young woman with hair that was half silver, half black, and big blue-purple eyes. Silver, cat ears were poking up out of her head and a long tail the same color, flicked behind her. When her eyes landed on the guy, they widened.

"Rette...?" she asked in Thyme's voice.

The guy opened his mouth to say something when there was a beeping noise from his pocket. Clicking his tongue, he pulled out a miniature communication lacrima like that of Gray's and held it to his ear.

"I'm here...yeah...mission complete. I'm on my way back." he said simply in a deep voice before he shoved the lacrima back into his pocket.

He cast Natsu and his friends one last look before he spun on his heel. Before Natsu could reach out to stop him, he cast the same Sun Wings spell Rette had been fond of using and shot into the air like a rocket, quickly vanishing into the distance.

"Damn! Just who was that guy and why did he look like Rette!?" Natsu snapped, annoyed with the whole thing.

It was a question that they were all asking. Especially when the guy had used a spell that had been among Rette's arsenal. And then there was something that Natsu had noticed when he got close to the guy. Rubbing his nose, Natsu frowned.

"He smelled a little like Rette." Natsu muttered.

Heaving an annoyed sigh, Natsu turned and returned to his friends. Whoever the guy had been, he hadn't been Rette and while his scent had very little in common with Rette's, it wasn't enough for him to think the guy had been around Rette or was connected to her. There were several people whose scents were, in some way, similar.

Turning his attention from the unknown guy, he focused his attention on his friends. It was then that he noticed who had showed up.

"Levy and Lily!" Natsu greeted.

"Long time no see." Lily greeted.

The young woman beside him, waved at Natsu with a smile on her face.

"Who are you?" Natsu asked, sniffing the air. "You smell like Thyme."

"She is Thyme, Natsu. She learned to use transformation magic." Levy said.

Thyme smiled in greeting to Natsu as she shyly looped her arm through Lily's. Lily smiled down at her, making her cheeks color slightly as she returned the smile.

"Hey, are you two..." Lucy trailed off as she looked between the two.

"They're totally a thing, now." Levy confirmed, embarrassing both Lily and Thyme.

Natsu didn't really get it, and turned to the last person in the group.

"And...a guy that looks like Gajeel?" Natsu asked.

"You picking a fight now, ya bastard?" Gajeel snapped.

"Nah, I mean...the Gajeel I knew could never be a councilman." Natsu replied.

"Yeah well, Tree Gramps found me back when I was looking for something to do and asked me, y'know." Gajeel told him, meaning Warrod. "And now, I'm way above the guild! By the way, you're under arrest too, Salamander...for having a face like that. And you...for indecent attire." Gajeel turned to Lucy. "Juvia...for being a puddle of water. You...you eat too much fish." This he directed at Happy. "Oh and you...hmm, I dunno. I just feel like I should arrest you with the others." Gajeel said this while looking at Wendy. "Last of all...I don't even have to tell you now, do I, Gray? I'm not as forgiving as the rest of them."

Before Gajeel could go on with his rant, Erza hit him firmly over the back of the head. Gajeel rounded on her, not the least bit happy.

"Huh, you sure are acting high and mighty for someone that looks like Gajeel." Erza remarked.

"I am the real deal!" Gajeel snapped.

"Nope. There's no way Gajeel would make it into the council." Erza insisted.

"That's actually Gajeel." Lily confirmed.

"What!?"

"So...you guys really do think it was an impostor?" Levy asked.

Natsu she could understand. The guy always seemed to have more than just a few screws loose in his head. But Erza? Sometimes Erza really made Levy wonder about her.

"Then let's cut to the chase." Erza said, changing the subject. "It was us that stopped Avatar's purification ritual. In fact...we-"

"I know." Gajeel said, cutting her off.

"The only reason we knew how to get here was because of Gray and we appreciate that." Lily added.

"But it doesn't change the fact that I've caused trouble as well. I'm sorry." Gray said.

"As long as Gray's alright, Juvia's happy." Juvia piped in.

"You had me fooled too!" Levy said.

"You've got to work on your undercover skills though, finding you wasn't exactly hard." Gray told her.

"Ehh, so you knew!?"

The whole conversation was lost on Wendy and Carla, who didn't know what was going on. Lucy promised to fill them in later on, but for now, they were just all happy to be together again. On a cliff over looking the town, Sting and Rogue watched the group.

"Guess I didn't have to worry at all, huh." Sting remarked.

"An army of that size versus a team of less than ten people..." Rogue shook his head.

"Man, these guys..."

"But it's quite a view, to see them all together again." Lector said in agreement with Sting. "Don't you agree, Fro?"

Lector turned to look at Fro, finding the other exceed to be missing. Freaking out, they looked around, only catching sight of Frosch where he now stood with the Fairy Tail exceeds below. It was then that Gray caught sight of Frosch then.

"Hey, aren't you Frosch from Sabertooth?" Gray asked, crouching down to the exceed's level. "What are you doing here?"

Natsu yelled when he saw Frosch, anger having him grit his teeth when he realized that Rogue had broken his promise. To Natsu's surprise, and relief, Gray picked up Frosch, commenting that Frosch was actually a little cute. Natsu was glad to see that Future Rogue's warning had turned out to be wrong, just as glad as he was to see his friends together and smiling. Though the guy from earlier still concerned Natsu. Just who was he and why did he have so much in common with Rette?

Things just kept getting crazier.

-0-0-0-0-

From a far distance, a new presence watched the group of friends, hands on hips. Eyes narrowed as the head tilted to the side. A small smile even begun to curl the lips. The wind picked up, blowing long, pale silver hair around the male's form.

"I can see why you're so intrigued by them. They truly are something else." he remarked with a sigh.

" _Is that a smile I hear in your voice, Torin?_ "

The male, Torin as he had just been called, looked down at the communication lacrima in his hand. Shaking his head, he let out a chuckle, his eyes going back to the Fairy Tail mages below.

"Call me reasonably amused. They're a hilarious lot, that's for sure." he remarked.

" _Depending on your position when you face them, they can be. They're less amusing and more grating when you take the position of enemy._ "

"I can see that. I think I'll continue to play the part of observer for right now. I don't relish the idea of the massive pain in the back side they would be if I changed that position." Torin remarked.

" _Smart choice. Very smart choice. Avoid the headache where you can. For now, return. I have a feeling we'll be making our move really soon. That loud mouthed, fire brain makes it impossible for those on the darker side of things to stay still._ "

"Roger that. See you when I get back."

With that, Torin cut off the call, shoving the lacrima back into his pocket. He turned his eyes back towards Natsu and his friends. Things were about to go to hell in a hand basket and he was interested to see how the mages of the formerly great Fairy Tail would handle it.

He, himself, was going to enjoy watching from up close and personal.

END

Kyandi: And I throw in another twist for all of you.

Rette: A mystery guy who looks like me...

Kyandi: I have something planned, so hush.

Rette: I figured.

Kyandi: So everyone continue to enjoy if you want to find out who the guy is.

Rette: We'll be back in a few days.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	35. Reuniting

Kyandi: Howdy, Kyandiacs!

Rette: We've returned.

Kyandi: Yeah, this chapter is a day late, but I got it done. And laughed my butt off at all of your theories as to who Torin is.

Rette: Some were a little funny.

Kyandi: Yep. Now, I won't say whose guess it was or what guess it was, but one person actually hit pretty close to who Torin really is.

Rette: You'll all find out soon enough.

Kyandi: Yeah, but I'm going to warn you all that updates might slow down in the next week or two.

Rette: Kyandi-sama is moving. After that, though, her updates might increase.

Kyandi: Yep, so bare with me, please. With that said, everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 35 Reuniting

East of the Fiore kingdom, aside the water front, sits a town called Magnolia. A town that once played home to the famous mage guild, Fairy Tail. To many, it was just another town, but to Natsu and his friends, it was home, and after a year away, they had finally come home.

"Woah! This really brings back memories!" Natsu declared, looking over the town.

"Look! They fixed the Cardia Cathedral!" Happy pointed out.

"This place was in ruins a year back." Wendy said, happy to see that the town had been restored.

"This town's really tough, isn't it." Carla agreed.

After the fight with Avatar, Gajeel and his group had returned to the Council, basically to resign. Gray and Juvia returned to their house to settle their affairs and Erza left to do the same, but everyone promised to meet up in Magnolia. It was misfortunant that they didn't get the information they sought from Avatar, but it wasn't like Gray and Erza had ever really had high hopes that Avatar could tell them more about Zeref, or possibly lead them to Rette. Though the male look-alike could be a good lead if they ever saw him again.

Looking around Magnolia, they were just glad to be back home. It was then that Wendy looked at Lucy who seemed to be down about something.

"What's wrong, Lucy? You look kinda down." Wendy remarked.

"Nah, I'm fine. I'm feeling all nostalgic since it's been so long." Lucy said.

Walking through the center of town, Lucy was forced to recall several memories. Happy ones, sad ones, even painful memories. All of them from her time in Fairy Tail. She even recalled the last time any of them had seen Makarov, as he disbanded the guild and vanished. She thought of the last time she had seen each of her friends, and finally, she recalled the last time she had seen Rette. She had still been so pale and a little sluggish from her death and rebirth, but she had smiled at Lucy with the most genuine, most open smile she had ever seen on Rette's face.

All of the memories had Lucy freezing on the spot. Natsu, Happy, and Wendy turned to look at her when she suddenly came to a stop, calling her name in confusion.

"I...I'm afraid of what I'll see..." Lucy said.

"Because the guild might not even be there anymore?" Natsu asked, Lucy remaining silent, unable to reply. "Who cares about the building. What matters is what we do from now."

"That aside, what about everyone else? With you appearing out of nowhere and saying that you'll bring back Fairy Tail...I must've gotten carried away too. I haven't even kept in touch with some people over the past year...the letters I've sent were only to those that I could find. That "We're going to bring back Fairy Tail, so let's meet at Magnolia!"...But if you think about it, everyone would've gotten on with their lives by now. I don't know if everyone else feels the same as we do. What if...what if they've already forgotten about the guild. I..."

Lucy was cut off when someone suddenly looped an arm around her shoulders, a bottle of alcohol clasped in the hand.

"Yeah, like I'd forget in only a year."

"Cana!"

Standing there beside Lucy, cheeks high with color and a wide grin on her face, was Cana. Cana greeted Natsu and the others, while groping Lucy like old times. After so long, Lucy didn't even register the fact that Cana was being unruly.

"This past year has been fruitful for me too, you know. Thought I'd go on a trip to look for Gildarts. So it was pure luck that this got to me in time!" Cana said, holding up the letter that Lucy had sent out. "The same thing'll probably happen to the rest too. I've been in the guild ever since I was a kid, so when we were told to disband so suddenly, I couldn't make sense of it. I mean, I didn't even know how to work outside of the guild. But I guess it was a good lesson learnt. Everyone else found it strange too. That might be why no one's kept in touch. And you've become our icebreaker, Lucy."

Lucy was surprised, her cheeks coloring, but Natsu grinned. He had figured that it would be something like that. Taking hold of Lucy's wrist, Cana begun to drag her after her.

"Come on! Everyone's waiting!" Cana announced.

"Everyone?" Lucy asked.

Cana didn't answer as she dragged Lucy the rest of the way to where the guild hall had use to stand. What they found, took Lucy's breath away. Tears came to Lucy's eyes as she was confronted with the sight of all her old guild mates gathered in one place. Each of them greeted her brightly, Mira offering her a "Welcome Home" that was the final straw to breaking the dam on Lucy's tears. Once Lucy had gotten her tears under control, Mira looked around in search of something.

"What is it, sis?" Lisanna asked.

"Is Rette not with you, Lucy?" Mira asked, turning to look at Lucy.

Lucy's eyes dropped to the ground, giving Mira the answer to her question. Everyone turned to look at Lucy as she shook her head, Wendy and Natsu looking away from everyone too.

"None of us have heard a single word from Rette. She's vanished, just like Master. I haven't heard even the smallest of rumors about her." Lucy replied.

Silence fell over everyone. Lucy was sure that each of them were thinking about what had happened with Rette during the battle with Tartaros. And it was so out of character of the Rette they knew, the Rette that had refused to leave their guild even when it had dwindled and had fallen so far. The Rette that had taken the guild upon her shoulders to support it and protect it. That she wasn't there with them...it was strange.

It was Wendy that ended up broke the silence.

"But I'm sure she's fine. She promised after all! She promised we'd all come back, that she'd see us all again and have any of you ever known her to break a promise?" Wendy asked.

Since the answer was no, it brightened everyone's mood. Whatever else she might have been, Rette wasn't one to break her promises to her friends. Natsu even grinned at this.

"Yeah, ya know Rette. She'll show up when we need her the most. That's how she's always been." Natsu said confidentially.

Just as she had shown up to bring Natsu, Lucy, Happy, and Gray back from Galuna Island, just as she had shown up to offer a hand during Phantom Lord's attack on the guild, how she had come charging into the fight to help Erza in the fight against Jellal, how she had put her life on hold to support her guild during the seven years the Tenrou team was gone, and with every fight afterward. Whenever something had threatened the safety of her guild, she had come flying in from somewhere in the back, possessiveness fueling her attacks. None of them had a doubt in their minds that, when they really needed her, Rette would make her appearance once more.

Until then, they had work to do.

All that was left in place of the Fairy Tail guild hall, was a large crater. Their first order of business was to rebuild the guild hall. While everyone else got to rebuilding the guild hall, Levy focused on sorting out documents. Over the past year, Levy had been doing research on how to bring back a guild after it had been disbanded, so she was prepared for when Fairy Tail finally got back together. The only thing really left to fill in, was who their new master would be. With Makarov missing, they would have to pick a different person, but the question than became...who, other than Makarov, could control the people who made up Fairy Tail?

In the end, after breaking up a fight had that broken out between everyone, Erza was named the seventh master of Fairy Tail.

It was after this was decided that Mest made an appearance, revealing himself to be a member of Fairy Tail, though the memories were extremely vague for the others. He requested that, as the new master, Erza followed him, taking her down to see Fairy Tail's largest secret.

"I didn't think there'd be something like this under the guild." Erza remarked, looking around at the stairs they were descending.

"Well, the entrance's normally not this easy to find." Mest replied.

"So, uh...Doran...no, Mest wasn't it?"

"Mest is my real name...you've got it mixed up, huh? Sorry about that."

"Why is it only me that can come here?" Erza asked.

"That's because you're the seventh guild master. We're about to enter restricted grounds now. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be allowed here either." Mest said, as they finally reached the bottom of the stairs and entered a room that was crumbling with age. He crossed the room to the double doors across, and pushed them open. "Fairy Tail's biggest secret...Lumen Histoire."

Erza stared in shock when she was confronted with Mavis sealed inside a lacrima. She had no sooner gotten Mavis' title out before Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Wendy came crashing out of their hiding spot after following Erza and Mest.

"Man, and even after I told you guys that this place is for guild masters only." Mest remarked.

"That's not fair! Let us in on it too!" Natsu snapped.

They were all surprised to find Mavis in her current state. Mest simply shook his head as he approached the crystal.

"I suppose it doesn't matter at this point. After all...it seems like Rette's been here before." Mest remarked.

"Rette? What makes you say that?" Erza asked.

Mest turned, tracing a finger over a part of the crystal that looked like something had taken bites out of it.

"See this? Something tried eating the crystal. Rette's the only crystal eating being I know of." Mest said.

"But why would she eat the crystal and how would she find this place?" Lucy asked.

"You're forgetting that Rette has heightened senses for sensing magic. From what Master told me before he left...Rette knew about this place from the very first time she stepped inside the guild hall." Mest told them. "Master also believed that Rette ate the crystal as a way for the First to help her with controlling the seal around her neck and the fits that came from her father's experimentation on her."

"Rette knew the whole time and never said a word?" Wendy asked.

"Rette, despite how she acted, was always very aware of what should and shouldn't be said. We all found out how good she was at keeping secrets, didn't we?" Mest remarked.

Boy, did they.

"Explain then, Mest." Erza demanded.

"I don't even know myself. But, one thing's for sure, she's here for a really important reason." Mest replied.

"That aside, where's Gramps!? You know, don't you!" Natsu asked.

Suddenly, images flooded their brains, as if someone had just projected a movie or something into their heads. It was a strange sensation to say the least.

"Images?" Erza asked.

"My memories." Mest corrected. "Nine years back...oh but maybe two years back for you Tenrou people, I was given a mission by Makarov."

Mest explained to them how Makarov had wanted him to go undercover in the Magic Council so that he could try to uncover as much information about the western continent as possible and then feed it back to him. He explained how he used his powers to erase his own memories and ended up becoming a double agent without even realizing it. How he had gained his memories back, briefly, after the Tenrou team had returned, only to go back under cover to continue digging for information, and after the battle with Tartaros, Makarov decided to disband the guild due to the threat of a kingdom in the western continent.

A kingdom that had invaded Ishgar ten years prior, in order to steal Lumen Historie. With the help of the Magic Council, the kingdom, called Alvarez, had been stopped. Fearing, at the time, that with no Magic Council and no Face or Etherion, Alvarez would attack again, Makarov had disbanded the guild. His reasoning had been that he didn't want Fairy Tail to fight back because where Ishgar had about five hundred magic guilds in total...Alvarez had about seven hundred and thirty, all of which were combined together to form the military of the kingdom.

Fearing for his guild, Makarov had gone to Alvarez to stall for as long as he could so that the council could get back on it's feet. In short...he had gone on a suicide mission.

"So...Gramps has gone to that whatchacallit...country...and he isn't back yet!?" Natsu demanded.

"He disbanded the guild to protect us..." Erza muttered.

"You haven't heard from him in a year?" Gray asked.

"Yeah."

"Didn't you try stopping him, Mest?" Happy asked.

"You really think the Master would listen?" Carla asked.

"I wonder if he's okay." Lucy said softly.

"We can't tell if we're still dealing with them, or if the country has isolated itself. Or even..."

"Stop, please." Erza begged, cutting off Mest.

"I've been following Makarov's orders and working on bringing back the council and with the help of Master Warrod, we've got a temporary council formed by the Ten Wizard Saints." Mest remarked.

"Oh yeah, I remember hearing that the council also wanted info on the Master's whereabouts." Lucy said.

"Master Warrod knows what's happening but I'm certain the rest don't. However, the threat they feel from the Alvarez kingdom is the same. They've been sending reinforcements to the western continent and strengthening their defenses there." Mest explained.

"But if the old man's trick worked, he would've been back by now, wouldn't he!?" Gray demanded.

"Well, yeah. Like I said, we can't tell if it's because he hasn't heard of this or if he can't make it back." Mest replied.

"Then we'll go help him. No?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah...I've done what the master told me to do, so from now onwards, I'll be doing what I want to do as a member of Fairy Tail." Mest agreed.

"If everyone's together, we're unbeatable!" Happy cheered.

"Let's all go!" Carla suggested.

"Wait." Erza demanded. "We're up against an enemy that the master himself felt he couldn't beat. We can't go there without a plan."

"We've all powered up in this past year! I ain't gonna lose, no matter how strong they are!" Natsu declared.

"So are you telling me that you're planning to trample on the Master's feelings despite knowing that he's there to buy us time?" Erza asked. "Rebuilding the guild and getting Fairy Tail back on it's feet. I want everyone in the guild to smile again, after all, it's been a year since we've seen each other. These are my feelings as the seventh master."

"Hey, that's...!"

"Rette was the first person he told about disbanding the guild and leaving." This comment from Mest, had Erza half turning to him. "She wanted to go with him, but he sent her on a mission to visit all of his allies, I believe it was to deliver a warning to them, but then she went missing, too."

"You don't think she went after him, do you!?" Wendy asked.

"It's possible." Mest said. "We all know that Rette isn't exactly someone to sit back when someone she claims as her own, is in danger."

"Erza! You still want to sit back knowing that both the old man and Rette could be there!?" Gray demanded.

"I already told you my feelings as the seventh master." Erza said.

"But-"

"But," Erza said, cutting off her friends. "my feelings as another member of the guild are entirely different. We must rescue the master, and Rette if she's there, at all costs! And that's why, only those here now will go. We're better off in small numbers. Infiltrate the Alvarez kingdom and rescue the master, and Rette if she's there, and then we'll talk. This isn't a fight, we're going there on a rescue mission, so don't pick any unnecessary fights and don't make a fuss over things. You hear me, Natsu?"

"Y...yeah..." Natsu agreed, looking away from Erza when she stared at him. "We'll save Gramps for sure! And find Rette!"

While they were planning their mission, above ground, someone was eavesdropping on the conversation. Gajeel grinned, deciding that if they wanted to go in as a small team, then he would just have to form his own team and go by his own way. With that, he rounded up Juvia, Cana, and Mira and declared that they were going to find Laxus. With the two teams decided, they all set out.

They were going to bring Makarov back.

One way or the other.

-0-0-0-0-

Natsu really was starting to hate this whole thing.

"W...We're going there...by...boat!?"

After deciding to follow Makarov to Alvarez to bring him home, Natsu and his group had set out. To Natsu's great misfortune, the only way they could reach the Alvarez kingdom, was to cross the sea, which meant that they had to take a boat.

"How else could we?" Gray asked.

"I dunno...get Mest to teleport us there in an instant or something..." Natsu replied.

"I can't do something that far." Mest retorted.

Groaning, Natsu turned to Wendy, hoping she could cast her spell on him to take away his motion sickness, but Wendy was also hanging over the side of the boat, fighting back being sick. With both of them feeling sick, Gray carried them into the boat cabin, but when he came back, he was missing all but his underwear. While Lucy scolded Gray, Mest approached Erza, who had been quietly staring out over the water.

"What's wrong, Erza? Oh wait, should I be calling you master now?" Mest asked.

"No, Erza's fine." Erza told him, glancing back at him before carrying on. "The guild's disbandment...Master Makarov went to such lengths just to protect us. And to keep Lumen Histoire out of the hands of the enemy as well. This much, I get, but...as long as Lumen Histoire remains a mystery to us, I can't help feeling as if what we're doing is meaningless."

"It could be...something equivalent...to a weapons, probably." Mest suggested.

"Well, from what I remember, the old man once said that he was gonna use it to stop Face." Gray piped in.

"Yeah...but he also said something about not having the courage to do so." Lucy added.

"So...if he had used it, it could've stopped the Faces at that time?" Carla asked.

The idea was big one. There had been so many Faces that it had taken seven dragons to destroy them all. To think that Fairy Tail had had a weapon that could do that on it own? It was no wonder that the Alvarez kingdom feared Lumen Histoire.

"And the First's body...is the biggest mystery of all." Erza commented.

"We can't even tell if she's still alive or not." Gray said. "Though, I bet Rette could of told us. After all, she always had a knack with magic and crystals."

"So the First that we've been seeing all this time is an astral projection?" Carla asked.

"There are too many questions left unanswered." Gray replied.

"But I'm sure we'll find out once we save the Master. And find Rette, of course." Lucy said.

The others agreed with that. It was just a matter of finding both Makarov and Rette. Erza turned and looked at Mest.

"How long till we reach Alvarez?" Erza asked.

"It takes ten days to reach Aracitacia by ship, so I'd say a few more if we're to reach the capital." Mest replied. "I understand your impatience but we can't afford to mess up now. We'll need to make a short stop at Caracall Island before proceeding to refill our fuel and food."

"That just goes to say that we're no longer in Fiore territory." Lucy remarked.

"Do we even have time to make a pit-stop?" Gray asked.

"It's like I said, we can't mess up now. Preparation is important if we're serious about the infiltration. We'll be meeting our intelligence guy in Caracall. That's when we'll plan our route." Mest replied.

It was all they could do for the moment.

-0-0-0-0-

Ten days at sea...by the time they finally got close to Caracall Island, Natsu and Wendy were grateful to see dry land, but that gratefulness was ruined when they were confronted with the sight of Alvarez's navy ship at port.

"What's it doing there?" Happy asked.

"Caracall isn't under Alvarez's rule, is it?" Carla asked.

"It seems they're checking for something at the ports." Mest said, peering through a spyglass.

"Doesn't that mean we can't get any closer?" Gray asked.

"They're...they're probably looking...for spies..." Natsu ground out.

"And it...doesn't...look like they've caught them yet..." Wendy added.

"You guys can hear what's going on from here?" Lucy asked, surprised.

"Well, sure...a little." Natsu replied.

This wasn't good. If Alvarez was looking for spies, it might mean that they were on to them already. That was something that could spell disaster for them before they ever even reached Alvarez to save Makarov. Mest turned to Erza.

"What do we do?" he asked.

"We need to get to the spies before the navy catches them." Erza decided.

When they finally docked, the navy soldiers were making all of those coming and going from the island, line up, leaving their luggage off to one side. Dressed as nothing more than mere tourist and hiding their guild symbols with that of the one Wendy use to have before coming to Fairy Tail, Natsu and his group joined the line.

"Next!"

With this call, it was their turn to step forward.

"We're here on a holiday!" Lucy cheered happily.

"I heard the star mangoes here are to die for." Erza added.

"That mark, are you a part of a guild?" the soldier asked, peering at Lucy's hand.

Lucy lift her hand, showing off the Cait Shetler guild mark that was hiding the real one. They had thought it best if they didn't openly claim to be apart of Fiore's most notorious guild. It was sure to give them away.

"Yeah, we're part of a mage guild called Cait Shelter." Lucy told them.

"I haven't heard of a guild like that." one soldier remarked.

"Yeah well, we only know a handful of those from Ishgar anyway." a second added.

"What do we do? We've been told to be thorough with those from guilds." the first said.

"But would a spy come through our front door bearing guild crests?" the second asked.

"True..."

It was obvious that the two soldiers were at a loss for what to do. This was where Lucy and Erza, with the charm of their swimsuits, stepped in.

"Hey. Are we done yet?" Lucy asked.

"There'll be no more star mangoes by the time this is over." Erza added.

For added measure, the two bent forward, giving the two soldiers a peek down their bikini tops while giving them wide eyed looks. The two men were completely taken and cleared them to move on. With that, they chalked it up to one for girl power. But despite making it past the guards at the port, there were so many roaming the town that they were severely hampered. Lucy instantly turned on Natsu.

"Natsu, behave!" she said sharply.

"Why me?" Natsu asked.

"Because you're the one that doesn't seem to understand the word 'infiltration' the most." Gray told him.

"I do! It's that, isn't it...like those 'ninjas' I like!" Natsu said, wrapping his face in his scarf until all they could see were his eyes.

Just then, further down the road, they heard a child yelling at one of the guards to give back their father. They turned to look down the street, watching as the child cried, begging to know where they had taken his father.

"Natsu, calm down." Erza told Natsu when he got upset.

"You mustn't do anything." Mest insisted.

It was easier said than done. When one of the guards raised a hand to strike the child, it wasn't just Natsu that came to the boy's defense, but him, Lucy, Gray, and Erza, the four taking down the guards. While Wendy comforted the little boy, Mest stood back, in a nervous sweat, unable to believe just how big of idiots his guild mates could be.

"We can't get out of this island!" Mest groaned.

"Right. Not unless we take all of them out." Carla agreed.

Natsu and the others seemed to agree. While Wendy and Carla took the child away to help him find his father, Mest went on ahead to their informant, leaving the others to distract the guards.

"Don't go too crazy, okay." Erza warned the others.

Natsu and Gray kept their magic to a minimum, while Lucy fought with her whip and Erza fought bare handed. It didn't take them long to work their way through the guards.

"This is disappointing. You sure these are the guys that the old man's so afraid of?" Gray asked.

"I have a feeling reinforcements will be coming from the ship." Erza said, glancing towards the navy ship.

"Hey, why don't we just ask these guys' for Gramps' whereabouts?" Natsu asked from where he was crouched next to some of the unconscious guards.

"I don't think we should. It's highly unlikely that they would have a clue...and they'd find out what we're here for. That's not a good thing." Lucy told him.

"Either way we've got to be ready." Erza said.

Though she said this, she was already relaxing at a street vendor, eating and enjoying herself.

"It would be great if you guys could tone it down a little." the vendor said.

"Sorry about that." Erza told him.

"Heh, and even in this mess, you're still opening shop. That's some cmmercial spirit you've got there." Gray told the man.

"Fights always happen around here anyway. Nothing's more important to me than business! I'm gonna save my money to get to Ishgar." the man told them.

"Oh?" Lucy asked.

"You lot are from Ishgar, no?" the vendor asked.

"Yeah." Gray confirmed.

"I'm gonna popularize star mangoes in Ishgar! And make the best dessert shop there!" the man said proudly.

"Yes, that sounds deliciou...It's a great dream!" Erza told him.

"I'm stuck with this shabby hut now but, I'm a man with big dreams too! There's no way an ordeal like this will-"

The man was cut off in mid-sentence when something suddenly caused the hut to explode. Needless to say, this needless squashing of the poor man's dreams, angered Erza. She rounded on the person responsible as they started clapping.

"Who is it!? How could you..." Erza growled.

"Ah, that's a wonderful face you've got there! Very well done~! My name's Marin Hallow. And I'm from the Brandish Force, a part of the Alvarez Empire's army." the enemy announced.

Wanting to get the vendor away from what was sure to be a fight, Gray gave the man a bag of money, claiming that while it might not be enough, he could have it as compensation for them bringing the fight to his hut. With the man out of the way, Erza tried to equip into one of her armors, to fight, but found that her magic wasn't working.

"What's wrong, Erza?" Natsu asked.

"I can't use my magic." Erza replied.

"Of course you can't...'space' is something I own." Marin said.

"Space?" Gray asked.

"'The Knight'...it's a kind of magic that enables me to instantly equip anything I want. And that's why you can't use any of your 'spacial' magic against me." Marin explained.

This meant that Lucy couldn't use her magic either, leaving her unable to summon any of her spirits. That meant that half of their forces were left unable to use their magic.

"I forgot to say this, but...those that have managed to break free of my laws of space...get an invitation to my own personal relaxation space." Marin said, as he sent Lucy and Erza away to another 'space'.

"Hey! Where'd you take Lucy and Erza, you bastard!?" Natsu demanded.

"Didn't you hear me? I said I invited them to my relaxation space. Those two have done so well so I've decided to make them mine. But you guys...you have failed." Marin said, his cheerful face changing to an ugly one. "Failed, you hear? Jackasses!"

"Woah, he turned one-eighty!" Gray said.

With a snap of Marin's fingers, suddenly, Mest dropped into existence, beat up and unconscious.

"He is one of yours, isn't he? This one too, tried to use spacial magic in front of the great me! Failures! Unclean! How dare you shitheads use spacial magic! It's not something for men to use, dammit!" Marin snapped.

Natsu attacked then, but Marin simply vanished and reappeared behind Natsu. Since he, himself, used spacial magic, he was able to avoid Natsu's attack. He was able to vanish from one place to the next, attacking Natsu and Gray and vanishing all over again. One minute, it was behind them, and the next, he was standing on a roof. It was becoming too much trouble for the two of them.

"How long are you gonna play around like that, Marin?"

A new voice had them turning to where a woman was walking towards them, the Alvarez emblem stamped on her right was ecstatic to see her, his speech returning to the overly cheerful one he had used with Lucy and Erza. Gray couldn't believe the amount of magic he could sense from her. It was completely off the charts.

"Oh, Lady Brandish! You're well done, as usual!" he greeted.

"Stop that, won't you...it's disgusting." she remarked.

Natsu, could sense the massive magical energy too. Without realizing what he was doing, he reached for his bandaged right arm. Both him and Gray were ready for her to attack them, but what came out of her mouth next, shocked them all into silence.

"I want some star mango gelato."

Turning, she found the star mango gelato shop in a pile of ruins. When she turned back around, there were tears in her eyes.

"The shop's in ruins! What happened here!?" she asked.

"Oh, they went all boom! on it." Marin said, pointing to Natsu and Gray.

"You did that!" Natsu snapped back.

"That's really cheap of you!" Gray agreed.

Brandish heaved a sigh, looking dejected as her shoulders sagged. Just as Erza had been eager to try the star mango gelato, she had been looking forward to it.

"I was so looking forward to it. I'm going home." Brandish declared, turning to head back to the ship.

"Wh...wait, Lady Brandish! These guys picked a fight with our soldiers out of nowhere. And there might be more of them out there meeting with the spies!" Marin told her.

"I'm not interested. Marin, give them back the girls you've 'passed'." Brandish ordered.

"Ehh!? But...they were going to be part of my collection...and you said I could do whatever I wanted, Lady Brandish." Marin whined.

Annoyed, a wave of magic exploded out from Brandish, shaking the ground and the buildings around them. Before their very eyes, the island's shape changed, rising from the sea to jut out over the water.

"Don't make me repeat myself again." Brandish told Marin.

"Yes!" Marin said quickly.

With that, he returned Erza and Lucy. Natsu and Gray quickly rushed to their sides to check on them.

"My relaxation space isn't anything dangerous so no worries, no worries heart emoticon." Marin told them, turning to Brandish. "Lady Brandish, our job is to capture the spy and their acquaintances that have come to look for him, and we can't go back empty handed or Master Wahrl will..."

"Ishgar wouldn't dare come at Alvarez even if we did let them go anyway." Brandish said.

"That's true but...wouldn't it be terrible to tell them we couldn't find any? We'd be failures." Marin insisted.

"Such things don't concern me." Brandish said simply, turning to leave once more.

"Wait up." Natsu called. "Look at what you've done to one of ours. There's no way I'm letting that slide."

Brandish half turned, peering back at Natsu as he glared at her. He was not going to let the injury to one of his friends, go unpunished. Brandish, in a show of her power, turned to Marin and with a simple lift of her hand...Marin vanished. This shocked Natsu and his friends, but Brandish turned on her heel as if it was nothing.

"And now, we're one person down too. Does that make us even then? I'm sorry, but...troublesome matter aren't my favorite." Brandish told him.

"You took out your own..." Natsu growled.

"It's like I said, it was getting troublesome. I'll let them know that I've taken care of the spy, etcetera, so don't come any closer to Alvarez." Brandish said, making Erza think she was belittling them, but her next words, cut off those thoughts. "Makarov is alive. But if you guys keep doing unnecessary things, who knows what'll happen. This is a warning. Don't come any closer."

The magic that fell over them, was enough shook the ground before the ground under their feet vanished, shrinking until it was just enough for Brandish to stand on. This sent the rest of them, including all inhabitants of the island, crashing into the water. Brandish looked down at them.

"There are twelve more mages of this power in Alvarez. So don't fight a battle you cannot win, Fairy Tail. "

With that from Brandish, she vanished, returning to her ship. This left Natsu and his team to ponder of what she had told them. Twelve more of the same, if not higher, level as her, and they already seemed to know their plan.

Thankfully, there was a group of fishing boats nearby. Everyone from the island was rounded up and boarded onto the boats.

"Everyone who was on this island seems like they'll be able to board." Lucy remarked.

"Lucky there was a group of fishing boats nearby." Gray agreed.

It was still mass panic as people rushed back and forth, trying to help everyone and see to everything they would need to. Then there was Mest. He was badly hurt, but with Wendy too motion sick to use her magic, he was basically left to heal the old fashion way.

"Oh yeah, did you find the kid's parents?" Gray asked of Carla, Wendy, and Happy.

"Aye! Don't worry!" Happy assured him.

"So, what do we do now?" Lucy asked.

"Hmm, we could start with that spy we're..."

Erza was cut off as she was suddenly teleported off the ship. Lucy, Natsu, and the rest of their team were teleported right after her. They suddenly found themselves somewhere else completely.

"It's...it's my magic." Mest said before anyone could freak out.

"Don't just teleport us here like that!" Carla snapped at him.

"Ohh! We're no long on transportation!" Natsu cheered, Wendy cheering with him.

"So...where is this?" Gray asked.

"Well, we're still technically in Caracall Island's waters but...underwater to be exact." Mest told them.

"Underwater!?" Lucy asked.

"I did get to the spy, but the only message I got was to come here." Mest explained.

"This is an odd place." Erza remarked.

Natsu was playing around with sticking his head out the windows when suddenly, the temple begun to move. Of course, this made Natsu and Wendy sick all over again.

"Welcome aboard!"

With this greeting, they all turned on the new speaker. There, they found Angel sitting on a throne of sorts. She waved in greeting to them.

"To the moving temple, Olympia! This is your captain, Sorano!" Angel called out cheerfully.

"So the spy..."

"That's right!" Angel said, confirming Happy's silent guess.

"Why wasn't it Cobra!?" Erza demanded of Mest.

"He would've asked all sorts of questions." Mest replied.

"So...your cover had been blown." Lucy remarked, looking at Angel.

"Then you came to the island to hide." Gray continued.

"And now the island's gone." Carla finished.

"Hey! It took all I got to escape alive, okay!" Angel snapped. "Anyway, this time's special because I owe Mest a favor anyway. We're not comrades, make no mistake."

"Thanks, Angel...So...Sorano?" Lucy said, trying to be polite.

Angel's reply for this was to hook one finger into the front of Lucy's bikini top and pull while reminding her that it had been her who had killed Karen from Blue Pegasus. It was Erza that got her to stop. Angel backed off, her hands going up in the air in a show of innocence. It was then that Natsu demanded to know where they were going.

"We're going to where Makarov is." Angel announced.

Shock and silence fell over the group as they turned to look at Angel. They couldn't believe that Angel actually knew exactly where Makarov was.

"You...know where the Master is?" Erza asked.

"How do you like me now?" Angel replied.

"And Rette!? What about Rette!?" Gray asked.

Here, Angel's grin waned until she heaved a sigh and shook her head. Her hands spread out to either side of herself in a what-can-you-do kind of fashion.

"We all looked, even Jellal, and not a single one of us could find even a tiny rumor about her. I certainly didn't hear anything in Alvarez. If she came to Alvarez, for any reason...no one knows about it." Angel answered. "Though, from what Jellal has told us of the Rette he worked with for seven years, I don't think you really got to worry."

While it was great news that Angel knew where Makarov was, it was a little disheartening to hear that she had no news on Rette. They were beginning to wonder if they would ever find Rette, and so many questions welled up in their minds.

Where was Rette?

Was she alright?

Was she happy?

And worst yet...was she even alive?

While they wanted to know what had become of Rette in the last year, at the moment, they had to focus on the person that was right before them. They knew where Makarov was, so they had to act. They would just have to leave Rette for after that.

That, and hope that, wherever she was, the was safe.

END

Kyandi: Don't get too impatient with me, everyone.

Rette: We'll get to my "return" soon enough.

Kyandi: Right. So be patient with me. I have to set a lot up.

Rette: Let's just say...you'll be surprised.

Kyandi: Oh, boy will they. That aside, everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: We're hoping to be back in a few days.

Kyandi: Until then, bye-bye!


	36. Fairy Heart

Kyandi: Greetings, all!

Rette: We have returned with one last chapter until after moving day.

Kyandi: Yep. I'm moving tomorrow and won't have my internet set up until three or four days later.

Rette: So, please, be patient with us during that time.

Kyandi: If you all can promise that, then I will leave this chapter with a relieved heart.

Rette: And everyone gets to find out who Torin is in this chapter, right?

Kyandi: Yep. So, let's see whose theory was right.

Rette: Fun.

Kyandi: So, everyone, please, enjoy and review.

Rette: Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 36 Fairy Heart

Makarov's location, turned out to be the royal palace of Alvarez. While it was a little difficult to get near the palace, getting to Makarov turned out to be the biggest challenge. What they found, had shocked them. They found Makarov, but he was faced with the kingdom's king...who turned out to be Zeref, himself. They were fortunate enough to arrive just in time for Mest to teleport in and save Makarov from Zeref killing him in a bid to anger Natsu into attacking him.

Mest quickly teleported Makarov out of the city and back to the forest where the rest of his team was waiting for him. Instantly, everyone gathered around, thrilled to see their master alive and well.

"Zeref! Zeref was there..." Mest got out between pants.

"Wait, Zeref's here!? On this continent..." Natsu demanded.

"I had no idea myself, that the man who called himself Emperor Spriggan was in fact, Zeref." Makarov said. "And now that you kids are here...did Mest keep you in the loop?"

"Yes." Erza answered.

"We're all so glad you're okay." Wendy told him.

"It was naive of me to think that it'd go so well. He never had an intention to negotiate in the first place. After all I've done...going as far as to soil the guild's long history by coming here...all of this, for nothing. How frustrating." Makarov said, tears in his eyes, his head hung.

"Not all of it was pointless. We've all grown a lot in the span of a year." Gray assured him.

"And we're all back together again." Lucy added.

"If the drive behind one's actions is the thought for another, then it is never meaningless. This was something you taught us." Erza agreed.

Makarov looked up at them all, his eyes wide while tears still streamed from his eyes. Natsu reached out, offering Makarov his hand to help him up.

"We're going home, Gramps." Natsu told him. "Back to Fairy Tail."

Makarov tearfully agreed, his eyes traveling over those before him, before he caught on to something he had missed at first. Turning one way, then the other, Makarov searched for the one person missing from the group.

"Where's Rette?" he asked.

"She's not here?"

Makarov turned, fixing his eyes on Gray when he asked that. When he shook his head, Gray shared a look with his friends. Makarov had a bad feeling about this.

"Why would she be here?" Makarov asked.

"After delivering the message you gave her, Master...Rette vanished. No one has been able to find her in the last year." Erza informed him.

Makarov slapped a hand to his face. He had a bad feeling that Rette had gone against her promise to him. Honestly, he should have known she would. Rette wasn't one to sit back and allow a threat to her family exist when she felt like she could do something about it. He had hoped that one of his friends would have been able to talk her into staying with their guild, but obviously, that had been hopeful thinking.

"I hate to break up the reunion and the conversation, but we've got to leave." Carla said.

"I've used my teleporting skills too frequently today...at this point, I only have enough power to move everyone once more. And I'd like to use that to move us back to Sorano's ship. This being said, we still have to return to the previous drop-off point." Mest pointed out.

There was that to consider and then there was doing that while trying to avoid the mages of the kingdom. They needed to get Makarov home and then they could focus on what happened to Rette.

"Aww, what a touching reunion. You going home, Makarov?" Everyone turned when someone else spoke. They were confronted by one of the Spriggan 12, Ajeel. "Got all your souvenirs yet? I heard mudpacks are a fad now, care to try one out?"

"Ajeel!" Makarov gasped.

"No way...how did he get here!?" Mest asked.

"Sand. Glorious sand. It tells you so much about the land." Ajeel replied. His grin spread wide as he watched each of them brace themselves for a fight, ready to confront anything he threw at them. "Oh, I like that."

"Stop! Don't fight him! He isn't someone you could beat! We've gotta move!" Makarov yelled.

While Natsu wanted to argue, Erza didn't give him a chance. She grabbed his arm and started dragging him away. Erza launched blades at Ajeel as a distraction, giving them time to make it to the magic car that Carla had ready for them. Erza quickly took the driver seat, taking off the moment everyone was inside.

"He's coming." Makarov warned.

Carla and Happy peered out the window, watching in horror as a monster made of sand rose up over them. Erza jerked the wheel, sending the car swinging one way and then the other in order to avoid the fists of the monster as it attacked.

"It's no good, he's catching up! Lucy! Let's intercept the attacks!" Gray yelled.

"Yeah."

Being careful, the two climbed out the window, climbing on top of the car. Makarov yelled at the two to stop, that Ajeel wasn't someone they could face, but Lucy and Gray weren't going to back down. They wouldn't know until they tried. Black marks spread over Gray's right side as he prepared to use his magic and Lucy Stardressed into her Sagittarius form. Makarov was surprised by the sheer increase in their magic levels compared to what they had been a year before.

Gray froze the monster and the area around it, but Ajeel broke free, his sand following him and turning into smaller, winged monsters. Lucy took over, shooting at the monsters while Gray took on those that managed to make it past her. Ajeel was impressed and seemed to vanish before their eyes. Makarov called out a warning that he was in the sand below them. Using the sand, Ajeel turned the ground under them into a quick sand pit. Quickly, they evacuated the car, fighting the drag of the sand.

"Let me tell you how many I've killed and town I've swallowed with this. This Ant Lion Larva's Pit is my version of hell's door. No one's escaped it before. So listen really closely, since it's the last thing you'll ever hear before you die. I eat mages like you for breakfast! You never stood a chance!" Ajeel declared. "We're just too different in level, you worms! Ishgar's now a land abandoned by the gods! It's only a matter of time until Alvarez takes control over it! You frustrated? I'm sure! Very good! I love the faces you're making right now!"

His words, how they angered Natsu.

With an explosion of his own magic, Natsu freed himself, and his friends, from the quicksand, the Cait Shelter emblem vanishing from his shoulder to be replaced with the rightful Fairy Tail emblem. The emblem replaced the Cait Shelter emblems on each of his friends as well.

"Abandoned by the gods? Just nice then. At least we still have the fairies." Natsu declared before punching Ajeel in the face.

He knocked Ajeel back, the others bracing themselves to fight back. Ajeel quickly rolled back to his feet, grinning despite now having a busted nose courtesy of Natsu.

"It's been too long since I've felt a punch this good!" he cheered. "Very good! Bring me all you've got!"

Ajeel attacked once more, the sand wrapping around them. Angered at Ajeel's attack on his children, Makarov used his magic to increase the size of his fist, slamming it down on Ajeel's head. Ajeel jumped out of the way at the last second. With Ajeel backing off to avoid the giant fist, Makarov scooped up all of his children, shielding them with his body as he expanded it.

"I won't let you lay a hand on my kids!" Makarov yelled.

Natsu protested this, insisting that they could still fight. Makarov wasn't listening. He wasn't going to let them continue a fight that he was sure was going to end up getting them hurt, or worse.

"Oh...did you really think you could protect all of them like that? You don't seem to understand, do you, the power of the Spriggan Twelve." Ajeel said. Something moving in the distance, called Makarov's attention. It was a massive wall of sand moving towards them, heeding the call of Ajeel's magic. "Let the sands of death swallow you whole!"

Erza instantly yelled at Mest to teleport them away, but Mest had no idea as to where he could teleport them to. Makarov was prepared to protect them to his final breath. He braced his feet, ready to take the sand on, determined to keep them safe.

"This is the end! Anyone that comes in contact with this sandstorm dries up from the inside! Ta-da! Mummified fairies!" Ajeel announced, laughing at the thought of their demise.

Natsu and his friends yelled at Makarov to run, to get away from the sand, but it was too late. Running now would be useless and Makarov knew it. Just before the sands hit, though, a bolt of lightning rained from the sky. Looking upward, Makarov was shocked with the sight of Blue Pegasus's flying ship, Christina, flying over head and at her helm...was Laxus.

"Laxus!?" Makarov called out.

"He took out that sandstorm with just one attack!?" Erza asked, surprised.

"Flashy as always, isn't he?" Gray asked with a huge grin.

Gajeel's voice suddenly sounded over the speakers on Christina, Levy's following, telling them to get on the ship.

"Gajeel? Levy and Lily too." Happy said.

"Hey, that's a ship, ain't it! How is it Gajeel and Laxus are completely fine!" Natsu snapped.

Many voices fought over speaking, Juvia, Elfman, and Lisanna among them, before Natsu was finally given his answer that the ship was customized to carry Dragon Slayers as well. Even the Thunder Legion revealed themselves to be there before Cana took over, ordering Mest to teleport everyone onto the ship so they could get the hell out of there. Mest was more than happy to comply with that order, though Ajeel had other plans.

He tried to stop their retreat, but Laxus stood in his way, lighting up Ajeel's world with electricity, and pain.

Leaving Ajeel to deal with the after effects of the attack, they retreated. With Mest's help they landed, though messily, inside the ship, Erza landing on top to squish all those below. Untangling themselves, they were greeted happily by the others.

"Why are you people here!?" Gray demanded.

"We've done stuff on our own to save the master too!" Lisanna said.

"And one is Laxus." Mira added.

"This ship is the best! I'm not even sick! Oh hey, let's fight, Laxus!" Natsu cheered, happy to not be sick for once.

"Shut up." Laxus replied.

Looking around at all of his children and being confronted with all they had done just to save him, Makarov couldn't help the tears that streamed down his face, or the smile that curled his lips.

"The best family one can ask for. Fairy Tail!" Makarov cheered.

With their master back, their family was whole. Well, almost. There was still one more person missing from their family.

Rette.

For the moment, though, everyone just wanted to be happy to have their master back. Once they were back home with everyone else, they could decide what they were going.

Whatever they decided, they would bring Rette home.

-0-0-0-0-

"To celebrate Fairy Tail's official rebirth...Cheers!"

Cheers rang out around the guild hall as people greeted Makarov for the first time in a year. With Makarov back, Erza stepped down as the guild master, giving the position back to Makarov. As always, the alcohol was broken out and fights and drunken laughter started to ring out through the guild hall.

"Everyone is so noisy." Lucy remarked, sigh contently.

"But at least everything is finally back to normal." Levy said.

"Yes, but..."

"But what?" Levy asked, looking at Lucy.

Lucy's eyes had been drawn to one of the pictures that had been hung up on the guild walls. There, in the center of the group of photos, was a single picture featuring the indifferent, yet slightly smiling face of Rette as she stood behind the counter, Natsu and Gray rough housing off to the side. Levy followed Lucy's eyes to the picture, instantly knowing what Lucy was thinking.

"Oh right...Rette's still not here."

When Levy said this, all noise in the guild hall died off. A table over, Thyme, sitting on the table in her exceed form along with Carla, Lily, and Happy, hung her head, her ears flattening against the back of her head. Everyone did the same, hanging their heads as they scolded themselves for celebrating when one of their family was still missing.

"No one knows where she went? At all?" Evergreen asked.

"The last known siting of her was when she dropped Master's message off at the Sabertooth guild. After that...she just vanished." Lucy remarked.

"What about you, Thyme? Can't you find her with your bond?" Macao asked.

Thyme shook her head, her head dropping another inch. Lily pat her shoulder, trying to comfort her. He turned to answer for her.

"After Rette's death, the connection was broken. When she was brought back, the connection never reestablished itself. She can no more feel Rette than she could when she first met her." Lily explained, Thyme nodding sadly.

"And she didn't go after the master?" Lisanna asked.

"We didn't come across her in Alvarez and our informnate hadn't been able to find a single trace of her." Mest answered.

"Then how are we suppose to find her?" Jet asked.

"It's Rette we're talking about. Sooner or later, she'll show back up...right?" Gray asked.

Murmuring broke out around the guild hall, everyone stating what they thought and some trying to come up with some plan to find Rette. Some ideas differed, and many disagreed on where she might be and what she might be doing, but everyone agreed on one thing.

She should be there with them.

Especially if a fight was about to come baring down on their heads.

Laxus didn't really care what the others thought. For the last year, he had kept an ear peeled for any rumors on her, had used every connection Blue Pegasus had in order to find her and had come up with nothing. It was frustrating. There were times that he went months without showing his face in the Blue Pegasus' guild hall and that was because he was out looking for Rette.

When he found her, he was going to shake some sense into her.

"Maybe this might tell us something."

Everyone turned to Laki as she stepped forward. In her hand, she held a beat up, worn envelope.

"What's that?" Lucy asked.

"Well, while rebuilding the guild hall, we decided it would be a nice surprise for Rette if we rebuilt her house as well. That way, she could have a house to come home to. Its the least we could after all she did for the guild while all of you were missing for those seven years." Laki explained. "While we were clearing away the crumbled remains of the house, we found this carefully hidden under bricks and stones that were left from her front porch."

Erza took the envelope from Laki and ripped it open. Inside, she found what looked like a letter or diary entry, written in Rette's neat script and signed at the bottom with her name.

"It's from Rette. It looks like a diary entry." Erza said.

"Read it. She wouldn't have left it there if she wasn't okay with someone finding and reading it." Cana encourage.

Erza saw their point. She cleared her throat and begun reading through the words Rette had left. Many smiled as Rette, in the entry, introduced herself as a mage of Fairy Tail, home to the world's foremost trouble making mages. She then went on to explain her life from the time she was born, to her mother's death and her early childhood being raised between her sadistic and abusive father and her beaten and scared into obedience aunt. The latter being a detail she had never shared with any of them.

The poor woman who had been left to raise her sister's daughter in a world that was cruel to her. Many of them felt bad for Rette's aunt, Seraphina. She had to live in the same place, with the same man that had killed her sister, had to raise her niece and watch, helpless, as Lachlan relentlessly tortured and abused the child. But she had been the one to teach Rette her beloved Light of Creation magic, had been the one to finally help Rette escape from her father.

What happened to her after that, not even Rette knew.

Rette went on to explain her naming, how she came about her nickname, her day to day goal of trying not to anger her father, and all the things her father had done to her, right done to dressing her only in a rag. She even theorized that perhaps that was the reason why she hated underwear. And she explained how she had finally snapped, had succumbed to the voice in her head that they now knew had been the demon of tribulation talking to her, and had attacked her father after he had punished her for standing up for a child that had helped her.

She laid out the story of how she had met her dragons, making them all smile and laugh when she added in the bit about asking her dragon mother where babies came from. She even surprised them when she revealed that her dragons weren't the only ones she had met back then. Rette described her feelings for her dragon parents, how she had closed herself off and how she had thought it better to keep the hell of her life to herself.

She wrote about how she went traveling after her dragons vanished, always alone and always keeping others at a distance. From what the entry said, it was then that she started collecting books, reading up on every kind of magic she could, applying the mixing technique she had learned with her Dragon Slayer magic. A year later, she found Thyme's egg. She even reminisced on how, when Thyme had been too tiny to fly steady, she had carried the exceed in a sling across her chest.

Thyme smiled brightly, especially when Rette's entry revealed that Thyme had been the first creature she had felt like she could let down even a small amount of her guards around. And then she described when she first came to Fairy Tail. Laughter rang out as Rette described meeting all of them as being overwhelming and saying that any sane person would have balked in the face of the guild. She described how, despite all the rowdiness and quirks, Fairy Tail was full of good people and how she had slowly fell in love with the guild until they had completely stolen her heart away and had become her God given solace.

Then, she went through each member of the guild, taking a few sentences to describe her feelings about them, what they meant to her. Makarov bit his lip as Erza read through Rette's thoughts on him. He could feel the tears returning to his eyes as he listened to the way Rette had praised him, basically calling him her father. To her, he probably was the closest thing to a father that she had.

When Erza read the part on Mira and her siblings, Mira and Lisanna, tears in their eyes, laughed, Elfman scratching sheepishly at one cheek. All three were over joyed to know that Rette thought of them as her siblings. Next Rette had covered Erza. Erza coughed, trying to cover the reddening of her cheeks even as a smile spread across her face. With the first few sentences on Natsu, Natsu grew annoyed, only to calm down when Rette praised him as a loyal friend and called him a brother she wouldn't trade for the world.

For Gray it was the same, though he quickly looked away from Juvia when Rette brought up her feelings for Gray. Lucy blushed when the entry turned to her, calling her smart, reliable, and strong, claiming her as the glue that kept their team together. Next was Wendy, Rette describing feeling like a proud, big sister, and then Carla, the exceed blushing when it appeared that Rette saw right through her crass words. Happy deflated when Rette described him as not having a fully functioning brain and felt torn when she claimed he was cut from the same cloth as Natsu. She moved on to Thyme, claiming her as her best friend and wishing only the best for Thyme in the future.

Finally, she came to a part about wanting to learn to open up again and that she wanted to because of one person in particular.

Laxus.

It surprsed a few of them, as Rette's entry described her feelings for Laxus, to realize that Rette had actually fallen in love and that she had been starting to realize it. And with Laxus no less! All eyes turned to the big blonde, whose cheeks were starting to turn a little red, his eyes wide. Finally, he dropped his face into his hand, unable to show his face to his guild mates.

"I knew she had been getting awfully close with him!" Laki cheered.

"You better not hurt her, Laxus." Erza orderd sternly.

"Just shut up." Laxus retorted, still unable to look up as the Thunder Legion grinned at him.

He was too embarrassed to look up, but inside...he was grinning like a fool. At least now he had some kind of confirmation on how she felt for him and that went a long ways to building his confidence where she was concerned. It didn't mean, though, that he wanted his guild mates to tease him about it.

Smiling at the thought of Rette finally finding someone who made her truly happy, Erza continued. According to the entry, Rette had felt her father's impending approach for a while before he actually showed up. She talked of her position as half demon and half human, and how she was different now than she had been as a child, though, at the core, she was the same. How she had feared for her friends, that she should have known better than to join Fairy Tail because it brought them to Lachlan's attention, but how she could never regret a single moment spent with them. She wrote about how much she loved her guild, how it had been the best time in her life, and that despite all the trails and stupid fights the guild came with, that it was more of a real family than some blood related families were.

And then she credited them with being able to finally trust others again.

She called them her greatest gift, claiming that while life had dealt her a poor hand at first, it had eventually dealt her the greatest hand she thought she could ever receive. It put smiles on their faces. In the entry, Rette thanked her birth mother and her dragons for all they had given her, saying that she still had a lot ahead of her, but her family needed her. Then Erza trailed off, her eyes growing wide as she read the rest of the letter.

"What is it, Erza?" Gray asked.

Erza grit her teeth, fighting not to rip the papers in her hands. Taking a deep breath, she read the last bit of what Rette had wrote down.

"' _I don't relish the punishment I'm going to get from Master Makarov for deceiving him, but in the end, if I accomplish what I'm setting out to do, then I will gladly accept it. It's with that mind set that I'm setting out on a solo adventure of sorts. I'll take Wendy and Carla to Lamia Scale, will pass on the message that Master has given me, and then I will face the future with my shoulders squared and my chin held high. I'm coming for you, Lachlan. And, this time, I won't back down until the job is done. I will come home, though. I won't be throwing my life away again. I have too much waiting for me here in Magnolia. I'll go, and I'll come back. After all, I have a house to rebuild. Forever a fairy, Rette Starrilia._ '"

Silence fell over the guild as the meaning behind the words sank in. Rette...Rette had gone after Lachlan, even after promising Makarov she wouldn't. Makarov cursed himself for not knowing better. Of course Rette wouldn't so willing sit back and do nothing while her father was still out there, threatening to hurt her family.

"You don't think she's d-"

"No! Don't even say that!" Natsu snapped, cutting off Droy. "Rette's alive. She said she wasn't going to give up her life again, didn't she?"

"Yeah, man. Have some faith in her. Since when has Rette given up on something she claims as hers?" Gray asked.

"True. She's finally laid claim to her life. I can't see her giving it up so easily." Erza agreed.

Agreement spread through the others at Erza's words. Smiles were just starting to appear on everyone's faces at the thought of Rette kicking her father's tail and making it back to them when the loud sound of Makarov slamming the end of his staff down on the ground, sounded throughout the room. Everyone turned to the old man.

"Everyone. I'm sorry. I won't make any excuses. I'm the one who lost everyone's home, and I'm the one that sent Rette away after knowing how far she would go to protect us. I'm really sorry." Makarov declared.

"I heard from Mest." Max replied.

"You did that to protect us, right?" Warren asked.

"We aren't angry and I bet Rette isn't either." Nab added.

"Yeah, and it's back already!" Jet piped in.

"Don't say depressing things. The drinks are gonna taste awful." Droy slurred.

"Besides, it's Rette, right? We've already seen just how difficult it is to kill her. She'll be back, Master. Don't you worry one bit." Mira assured him.

Makarov wasn't exactly reassured by their words. In the end, his plan had failed and now they had Alvarez breathing down their necks. Together they were, but, in the end, Rette was still missing and they were all still in danger. Makarov got down from his seat and headed for a table where a map had been spread out, a chess piece of sorts, marking where the Alvarez kingdom stood.

"In the end, my plan was a failure too. Alvarez is going to attack us. A huge country is marching towards this guild." Makarov said.

"So what!?" This yell came from Natsu who came stomping up to the front, annoyed with the whole doom and gloom feeling Makarov had filled the room with. "We've fought for this guild many, many times. No matter how strong the enemy is, the wish to protect the ones important to us has always made us strong."

Natsu finally reached the table, the attention of the whole guild on him as he slammed his hands down on the table. He glared across it's surface at Makarov as he continued on. It was easy to tell that he was refusing to back down.

"It's not that I'm not scared. It's like a parcel you don't know how to put down. But...everyone will definitely help us." On the table, flames burst to life around Natsu's hand, burning away the map until it caught the piece representing the Alvarez Kingdom, on fire. "The real fear...is the thought that these happy days might not continue. To be able to laugh together once again. We have to fight. Our goal is not victory! We're gonna fight to live! That's our battle!"

Grins spread to every face, everyone agreeing with Natsu completely. They had to fight for what was their's, just like Rette always did. Their enemy was seeking to take away their lives, their tomorrow. They would fight, not to win, but to ensure that they would have a tomorrow to spend together.

"It seems like everyone is ready." Laxus remarked.

"I am too." Makarov agreed. He just needed a little reminder that Fairy Tail was a family that wasn't to be messed with. "They will regret challenging our family! We will strike them back!"

Everyone had their reasons for fighting and while some of them differed, everyone was fighting for their loved ones, for the guild, and for themselves. It wasn't a fight they could afford to lose, so they simply wouldn't. They wouldn't give up until everyone was safe once more.

"There is something I need to tell you before the battle. The official name of Lumen Histoire is "Fairy Heart"." Makarov announced to the guild.

"Let me talk about that, Sixth...no, Eighth." At the sound of the voice, Makarov turned, finding Mavis standing behind him. "Everyone, Fairy Heart has been our guild's most protected information so far. That's because it has a secret that the world must not know. However, you also have to know the reason Zeref wants the power. And my sin..."

"First." Makarov called, silently telling her that it was alright not to tell them.

"It's okay. It's time to reveal the truth. This is the story of a cursed boy and a cursed girl. And of the single magic they were pursuing. This was a story that happened a hundred years ago, slightly before Fairy Tail was formed. Magnolia's West Forest. That was where we met by chance. He was suffering from the Ankhseram Curse, a curse that toyed at the fates of others by robbing them of their lives. But I was intrigued by him. He taught me most of my magic. At that time, Magnolia had been under the control of a dark guild. And we had to learn magic as fast as we could to free magnolia from them.

"That was when it happened, in the midst of battle...I used a black magic spell that was still incomplete but we won anyway. However, the price I had to pay was a body that stopped aging. I didn't think much of it back then. April, Year X686, Fairy Tail was formed. It was a time when the lords were in a feud over their trading rights. The second trade war was just about to begin. Guild wizards were roped into the battle as soldiers for these lords." Mavis said.

The guild listened as Mavis spun a tale for them of how she met had first met Zeref, starting with the beginning of the second Trade War.

"Year X690, the end of the second Trade Wars. The number of those injured and the death count were ten times higher than in the first war. It was said that the reason behind this was the mage guild interventions. That was when the world of magic decided that guilds could no longer wage war or be a part of any war by drafting a treaty. With that, a short era of peace dawned upon the world of magic. Six years later, year X696, I met with him again, pure coincidence."

Eyes stayed riveted on her as she told them of how she became cursed with the same curse as Zeref. Of how she was there when Makarov was born, that she had actually been the one to name him. And of how, after the death of Makarov's mother, Rita, Mavis ran away from the guild.

"A curse of contradiction. The more you love life, the more it will steal from those around you. But if you stop loving, then it will stop taking as well. I've taken the lives of trees, animals, and now, people too. From that point onwards, I stopped showing up at the guild, aimlessly wandered around and unwillingly stole a few lives from those near me. Then a year went by..."

Mavis continued, telling them of how Zeref found her once again, dirty, her clothes torn, starving, and living deep in the wilderness, far away from all people. But Zeref found her, none the less, and told her that, in his infinite amount of time, he had created demons to possibly, one day, kill him and how he had started his own country. She told them that it was then, talking to Zeref, that she realized that after a while, the curse even turned one's thoughts into contradictions. It was also about that time that she learned that she truly loved Zeref and Zeref her.

But even the love between two curse, wasn't to be allowed.

"Everything begins in the deep abyss of magic. A magic that unites it all, love. Love can cause miracles, and sadness as well. And the love between the two that have been living with the curse...have brought upon the highest level of contradiction. The more one loves, the more one will take away from another. This curse...has taken my life from me. Even when I was suppose to be immortal."

After her supposed death at the hands of Zeref's love, Mavis told them that Zeref returned her body to Fairy Tail, handing her over to the man that would later become Hades. Noticing that while her heart had stopped beating, some of her magic remained, Hades had put her in a lacrima deep beneath the guild in hopes to bring her back.

"And that's how my body came to be inside that crystal. He tried as many resurrection spells as he could, but nothing worked. And soon, Precht himself realized that I had the curse of Ankhseram. And ultimately forced him to keep this whole thing a secret. Year X697 Percht chose to announce that I had died and that my grave was on the guild's hold ground, Tenrou Island. Tenrou Island was my birthplace and also where I met Precht for the first time. The same year...Precht officially became the second guild master. And this was done according to my will before I had departed. Precht balanced his job as a guild master while trying all sorts of ways to bring me back.

"Year X700, three years later, Makarov's dad, Yuri passed away. Unaware of the circumstances that caused his wife's death. And then fifty years goes by, Precht never stopped trying. Everything was becoming very unpredictable. Precht was a genius, and even with his unrivaled knowledge and talents, I was stuck with the curse. I had become somewhat suspended in animation. Alive but dead at the same time. But that combination gave birth to a new indescribable magic. Eternity magic, Fairy Heart."

"What is that?" Erza asked.

"Just like it's name suggests, a limitless magic. One that will never run out." Mavis answered.

"An everlasting fountain of magic!?" Happy cried.

"For example, there once was a weapon called the Etherion that the old magic council had. And one attack from that weapon could wipe out an entire country. With the Fairy Heart, you could fire that Etherion repeatedly without worrying about the magic. Or should I say, it has enough magic to enable that...but then again, it's hard to explain just how much is has. It is infinite, after all." Mavis explained.

With this realization, the whole room was shocked into silence. Such a magic...it really could shake the foundation of the magical world. Especially if Zeref was able to get his hands on it.

"My son, Ivan, once wanted this as well. I wonder how this got out but now Alvarez is aware of it as well." Makarov said.

"So you're saying Alvarez is attacking because they want the Fairy Heart!?" Elfman asked.

"But what for?" Lisanna asked.

"They should have enough power already on their own." Mira remarked.

"I would think it's because they're planning on taking down Acnologia. It's been getting on Zeref's nerves this whole time." Mavis replied.

"But if we look at it from another angle, we'd need that much power to defeat it?" Cana asked.

"Hey, I have a really simple question. If it was that powerful, couldn't we just beat both Alvarez and Acnologia?" Happy asked.

"He has a point. I once thought of it as well when we had to deal with the Faces, but even if we won that round, there's no telling what would happen next. What would we do if we could no longer control the Etherion that now has an infinite source of magic?" Makarov said.

The mere thought was scary. If a canon like that was to go out of control? It would spell disaster for all of Fiore, and possibly the world.

"The Fairy Heart is something that should not be introduced to the world under any circumstances." Mavis said, the guild agreeing with her. "That being said...it's possibly already has been."

Makarov turned to look up at Mavis hung her head.

"What do you mean, First?" he asked.

"A magic born from my sins...I never thought it would drag all of you into this mess..." Mavis said.

"It's not a sin to fall in love. You can't even arrest someone over that." Gajeel said.

This, coming from Gajeel, surprised everyone and that surprised ticked Gajeel off. That being that, several were still stuck on what Mavis had just said.

"First, what do you mean it might have already been introduced to the world?" Erza asked.

Mavis looked down at the ground, as if ashamed of her actions. Finally she heaved a sigh and spoke.

"A year ago, not long after the Grand Magic Games, I noticed that Rette was really starting to suffer from fits of chest pain. During those fits, her magic would become unstable and would basically start tearing her apart from the inside. I knew, from watching her, that it would kill her before long. How she had made it that long already, was surprising. It only speaks highly of the amount of will power she has." Mavis started. "I knew something had to be done to stabilize her magic and when I saw the seal around her neck...I knew what it was. I had hoped that by sharing what power was trapped in the Fairy Heart's crystal, I could help keep her magic stable, stop the fits, possibly heal her. So..."

"So you lead her to Lumen Histoire." Erza said, Mavis nodding.

"That's why we found teeth marks in the crystal. Rette really did eat the crystal." Lucy said.

The mere thought had others making faces. They all knew that, as the Crystal Dragon Slayer, Rette ate crystals. She ordered them with her food all the time, but for her to eat a crystal that held the First's body in it? It was a disturbing thought.

"Rette didn't want to do it, but I pleaded with her. I couldn't stand to watch a member of our family died in such a painful way. I knew, the moment the magic settled into her body, that it had fused with her magic and had forged a link between her and me." Mavis said.

"But that's different than linking her directly to Fairy Heart, right?" Gray asked.

"Did any of you notice her running completely out of magic in the fight with Tartaros?" Mavis asked.

Everyone froze as they thought about this. While there had been times that Rette had run low, as if she was getting down to the last bits of her magic, she had almost instantly got her second wind, her magic rocketing back up to give her another fighting chance. The only time her magic had dropped to zero was when she had died. Horrified realization dawned on them all.

Rette...really was linked to Fairy Heart.

"I don't think Rette realized it then, herself, but because of this, I can always feel Rette, can feel her heart beating, as if it's my own. About eleven months ago, her magic suddenly dropped, dropping dangerously low, as if something had suddenly sucked out all the magic she possessed." Mavis told them.

"What!? Is she alright!?" rang out from several members of the guild.

Laxus tensed in his seat, his eyes narrowing as he waited to hear what, exactly, that meant. Mavis held up a hand, silently asking that they calm down and listen.

"Despite this, I could feel Rette fighting. Even with her magic, her very life force, low and struggling, I know she fought and she, unconsciously I bet, drew on the power of Fairy Heart. If anything, her heart beat is stronger. I can feel her, even now." Mavis said, pressing a hand to her chest. "Her heart beat is strong and confident and she is growing stronger with every day that passes. Her magic has become so strong, I can feel it singing through my very being. Rette is alive...and she's on her way home. That much, I can tell."

Hearing this, smiles spread across everyone's face. Rette was coming home.

"But, to drag you all into this mess..." Mavis trailed off.

"First, please don't blame yourself so much." Erza told her.

"That's right. It's coincidental that the bad stuff kept piling up on you." Mira agreed.

"If you weren't here, we wouldn't have Fairy Tail at all." Lucy remarked.

"Which means we never would have met you." Cana added.

"You being here is what connects us all, Rette included, First." Gray said confidently.

"We want to protect the guild you built. So we'll fight." Wendy agreed.

Mavis couldn't stop the tears that rolled down her face. Even as no more than a spirit, she still felt the tears as if the warm liquid spilled down her true face.

"It's become a fine guild, First." Makarov told her.

Even Juvia started crying then. Confused, Gray questioned why she was crying. With tears still in her eyes, Juvia explained.

"Master Mavis has to fight the person she once loved." Juvia explained.

"That was a long time ago. Zeref has now become a threat to mankind. We have to defeat him." Mavis told her.

"But...even if we did do something about the Alvarez soldiers..." Bickslow started.

"Zeref's immortal, isn't he?" Freed finished for him.

"He can't be killed then!" Evergreen added.

"How do we do this..." Erza pondered.

Natsu started laughing then, drawing attention back to him. Everyone turned him as he jumped up onto a table, declaring for all of them to leave it to him. He clapped a hand down on the bandaged covered bicep of his right arm, a grin on his face.

"I'll take Zeref down. I've been developing this technique in secret anyway!" Natsu declared.

Clapping from a single person suddenly rang out through the guild hall. Everyone begun twisting and turning, trying to locate whoever it was that was clapping. Finally, all eyes locked in on the door to the guild hall. One side was open, a solo form leaning against the frame and clapping. Natsu turned, freezing on the spot when he saw who it was.

"Bravo. Such confidence, such bravery. I was not lied to when I was told you had both in over abundant levels, idiotic levels." There, standing in the door way, a small, crooked grin on his face, was the guy that had butted into Natsu's fight with the god that Avatar had summoned. "Yo, what's up. Long time no see, Natsu Dragneel."

"You!" Natsu jumped off the table. "You were the one that butted into my fight!"

"Yeah, something like that." the guy replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"He...he looks like Rette..." Mira gasped.

"You know this young man?" Makarov asked.

"He showed up when we were dealing with a cult of Zeref a while ago." Erza answered.

"You're welcome, by the way." the guy called out.

"How long have you been standing there?" Gajeel demanded.

"Hmm...nearly the whole time?" Everyone stared at him, shocked that none of them had noticed him one bit. "I heard everything. Going up against Alvarez and the Black Mage himself? You all got some courage, that's for sure. Let me guess...you're banking on Rette showing up to help you at the last moment?"

"How do you know Rette?" Erza asked.

"You get outside of Fiore and more people than you think, know about her. You are aware that she's originally from an island that is apart of the Alvarez kingdom, right? She's well known in certain parts of Alvarez." the guy replied.

"You're from Alvarez!?" Natsu growled.

"I was born there, if that's what you're asking. But that's beside the point. You're all banking on Rette's return, right? But what if she isn't the Rette you remember?"

"What are you talking about?" Lucy asked.

They watched as the look-a-like spread his arms, still leaning casually against the door frame. If anything, his grin became a little more crooked.

"She still had that demon in her and, believe me, she's been fighting a losing battle against that creature for years. She knew she couldn't keep up the fight any longer, she'd lose. It was why she went to seek out Lachlan." he told them.

"That demon could not completely take over Rette's body unless she died. I can still feel her heart beating, can still feel her magic." Mavis said.

"You can feel her _**heart**_. Her heart doesn't need to die for the demon to take hold. Only her spirit. You can't feel that dying, am I right?"

Mavis froze. He wasn't wrong, she knew that. But was he right? Was she really only feeling the beat of a heart taken over by a demon?

"All I'm saying is...don't be surprised if the Rette that shows up, isn't the one you remember." he added, his grin vanishing. "Zeref can pull some pretty cruel tricks. Especially where Rette is concerned. After all, she's defied him just as much as she's defied Lachlan. He's not happy about it."

"Just who the hell are you!?" Natsu demanded.

"Me? That's simple." the guy replied.

"Then answer the question." Gray snapped.

The grin returned to the guy's face and what came out of his mouth next, shocked them all into open mouthed silence.

"My name is Torin Starrilia...I'm Rette's brother."

END

Kyandi: Those who guessed that he was blood related to her...good job! You were right.

Rette: Yeah...I have a little brother.

Kyandi: But now, the question is...is he a good guy or a bad guy?

Rette: You've already seen one example of the males in my blood related family. What do you think?

Kyandi: I think they will have to continue to read.

Rette: True.

Kyandi: So, everyone, enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	37. First Confrontation

Kyandi: Hey everyone!

Rette: We've returned and this time...we have two chapters for you.

Kyandi: My muse had been over flowing for this story.

Rette: Mostly because we're approaching a part she's been waiting for.

Kyandi: There's that. Anyway. Without delay, let's get on with this.

Rette: Right. The next chapter is a big one.

Kyandi: Hush! Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette; Kyandi-sama does not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 61 First Confrontation

"My name is Torin Starrilia...I'm Rette's brother."

Silence stretched out in the room, everyone staring at the newcomer in shock and disbelief. The guy, Torin, stood there, just waiting patiently for them to snap out of it.

" _ **WHAT!?**_ "

A crooked grin tilted up one side of Torin's mouth when they all finally broke the silence. He reached up and pushed his bangs back from his face.

"Really? It's that shocking? I look exactly like her, for crying out loud." Torin remarked.

"That means...you're Lachlan's son!" Lucy snapped.

Everyone was instantly on defense. Brother or not, none of them knew if that meant Torin was against them or not. For all they knew, he would be on the side of his father. Though some questioned why Torin had Rette and her mother's last name when Rette's mother had passed away just days after her birth. Was he...was he the son of Rette's aunt, Seraphina?

"Yeah, we share a father." Torin confirmed. "And our mothers were sisters. It's probably why we look so much alike. Something I'm grateful for. My father isn't exactly the most exotic looking, you know?"

"Sisters?" Erza asked. "Her letter did mention something about being looked after by her aunt."

"But Rette never mentioned anything about siblings. In fact, she said she was an only child." Mira said.

"I was born after she ran away from the Compound. My mother was too young, immature, for Lachlan to touch before that and by the time I was conceived, he had my mother completely brainwashed. She didn't turn on him like my Aunt Irini did." Torin replied. "Which is probably why Mother lived so much longer than her. She got the chance to raise me exactly as my father wanted her to. Something about a maternal figure being the best for molding young minds."

"So you're here as our enemy!" Natsu barked.

"Cool it, hot head. You really are as quick to combust as I was told." Torin remarked, shaking his head at Natsu. "I'm here under orders from my master to observe, not fight."

"You're master? You mean Lachlan?" Levy asked.

"Tch, hell no. That guy doesn't deserve the respect someone might pay the dirt beneath their feet. He's been slipping over the years, my old man, slowly losing what little sanity he had. I swear, his brain is rotting.. He couldn't even manage to capture Rette. Not that I can hold that against him. My sister is really good about being evasive. She's far more crafty than he ever gave her credit for." Torin remarked.

"Then it's Zeref that's your master." Gray said.

Torin's eyes, exactly like those of Rette's, turned to Gray. For a moment, he stood there in silence, but then he heaved a sigh. Torin pushed himself off the door frame, shoving his hands into his pants pockets and half turning, as if he was about to leave.

"Look, I only came here to see if you succeeded in getting the guild back together and to warn you." Torin told them.

"Warn us? About what?" Makarov asked.

"My sister. If you think you see her, be careful, keep your distance. She's not the same as she use to be. Not anymore. I know it would break her heart if one of you got hurt." Torin said, turning to start walking away. "I think my sister's heart has taken just about enough breaking in this life."

With that, Torin vanished through the door. Natsu ran after him, but when he stepped outside, Torin was gone from sight. Cursing, Natsu yelled before stomping back into the guild hall. It really got under his skin. While he fumed over the encounter, the others thought it over.

The way Torin spoke left the question of whether he was an enemy or friend, unanswered. At parts, it made it sound like he was the opposing side, that he was almost mocking his sister, but with some words, it almost sounded like he was concerned for his sister. It certainly left them wondering what his and Rette's relationship was like, if they even had one. Just so many questions.

Was Torin against Rette?

Was he siding with his sister?

Did his sister even know he existed?

Or was he just pulling their strings, lying to them in order to hurt his sister?

After seeing what her father was like, it was highly possible that, as his son, Torin was just as cruel to Rette as their father was. If that was the case, they weren't going to let it continue. Rette had enough going on in her life, she didn't need an abusive brother on top of an abusive father.

"Master?" Makarov looked up when Erza called him. "What do we do?"

"We don't know if he's telling us the truth. At this point, I'm unwilling to trust him. Until we find Rette and find out the truth from her, we will keep a close eye on him. Something about this doesn't seem right." Makarov remarked. "But for right now, we have other issues to concern ourselves with. Among the top issues being to find Rette."

The others agreed with that and they all continued on the topic of how to deal with Zeref. Remembering what Natsu had said about a secret technique, Erza and Lucy turned to him.

"What's that plan you were going on about?" Erza asked.

"It's a secret." Natsu said with a grin. "That's why it's called a secret plan."

"Quit wasting time!" Gray yelled at him.

"What have you got hidden in that arm!?" Elfman demanded.

The whole argument was just ridiculous. Wendy smiled, laughing lightly as she watched Gray start to wrestle with Natsu.

"But...I'm sure it's something really powerful, if Natsu's so confident about it." Wendy said.

"Anyway. I can only use this once. But it's something I created to take Zeref down...and I'm certain I can!" Natsu declared.

"Well, if Natsu is so proud of it, I guess we've gotta believe in him." Bixlow remarked.

"And his confidence is somewhat encouraging for us anyway." Freed agreed.

"Amazing how one man can raise this much morale." Evergreen mused.

"That's just how he is." Laxus remarked.

On that, everyone could agree. Natsu wasn't always the brightest person in the world, but when it came to raising the morale of his friends, there were few better at it than him. As Laxus put it, it was just how Natsu was.

"I have a few plans as well, but let's trust Natsu for now." Mavis said.

"Master, please tell us more about what we're going up against." Lucy requested.

"Let me tell you all I know then. First off, Emperor Spriggan. We know him as Zeref here in Ishgar. He has a small elite force under him called the Spriggan 12. I spent a year there but I've only met six of them. It could be because it's a lot bigger over there, so it's not often that they gather. Then we have the Winter General, Invel, Zeref's closest aid and consul. And just as his name states, he uses ice magic, but that's all I know." Makarov started.

The part about Invel's ice magic was what caught Gray's attention. He looked up from where he stood, repeating the word ice as he considered this.

"The Desert King, Ajeel is someone we already met during our escape...a mage with the power to control sand. One of the few in the Spriggan 12 that's always itching for a fight." Makarov continued.

"That guy, huh..." Natsu muttered, clicking his tongue in annoyance.

"The Nation Demolisher, Brandish...hates fights but she has the power to wipe a nation off the map if she needs to." Makarov added.

"We met her back at Caracall Island and if I'm not wrong...she probably has magic that could change the mass of another." Erza said, offering the information.

"And then we have the War Princess, Dimaria...I don't know anything about her magic but she's a female knight that has survived and triumphed in many wars, thus earning her that title." Makarov added.

"So she isn't a mage!?" Erza asked.

"That's not the problem, is it?" Cana asked her.

It seemed like Erza had more issues with Dimaria than she was letting on.

"The strongest of the Ten Wizard Saints, God Serena. I guess you'd call him someone deplorable but his strength is something not to be taken lightly. Trust me on this." Makarov insisted.

"Woah, having a former Ten Wizards Saint as an enemy though..." Levy trailed off at the thought.

"I wonder why he left Ishgar." Juvia mused.

"We won't know until we actually meet him, I guess." Evergreen remarked.

Whatever his reason, they all agreed that God Serena was a traitor to their kingdom.

"And the Magic King, August...he's...he's on a different level! His magic is nothing like the other Spriggan 12's. Rumor has it that he can control magic of every element, even the ancient ones and if compared to Zeref in terms of the types, it's probably even more than Zeref himself." The mere thought was enough to make all of them balk. "The only person I can think of who possesses a magic he would have never encountered, is Rette with her Nexus Magic."

Considering the fact that Rette was the first person anyone had ever heard of with the ability to learn whole types of magic and blend them together, they were all pretty sure that Makarov was right. Rette and her magic might take this August off guard if she was to fight him. Maybe.

"That's all I have on six of the members...but the remaining three...all I have is their names. Bradman, Neinhart, and Badd."

"We'll start planning now then. Please listen well, everyone." Mavis announced. "We need everyone in the guild for this. We are at a disadvantage at this point. The enemies we're about to face are nothing like those we've faced before. But what we have is the courage and our bonds to pull us through! Let's show them what this guild is made of!"

Cheering rose from the members of the guild. Mavis and Makarov watched all of them as they all started taking plans, discussing what they could do to prepare for the attack from Alvarez. Together, as a guild and as a family, they would prevail.

"First."

"Yes."

"What should we do if Rette really has been turned against us?"

Mavis glanced out of the side of her eyes at Makarov. He was watching the others with a worried look on his face. They both knew how much Rette meant to the other members of the guild. If by some spell or something else, she was turned against them, Makarov and Mavis both knew that the others would never be able to fight back against Rette. They just couldn't bring themselves to hurt her.

But if Rette was turned against them, she posed a huge threat to them. For one, she knew each and every one of them. She knew the magic each of them used and she knew their fighting styles. Secondly, there was her connection to Fairy Heart. That alone was dangerous. While Rette was clever and crafty, and her arsenal of magic was wide and flexible, it was the mere thought of her having a limitless supply of magic that was frightening.

Especially if she was fighting for Zeref.

"While the thought is truly frightening, I don't believe Rette will ever truly turn against us. All we can do is wait and see and hope that it isn't true." Mavis told him.

It was all they could do where Rette was involved.

For now.

-0-0-0-0-

"You're in my room without my permission again!"

Despite all the battle planning, all the preparation they were going through to prepare for war, the night found Lucy going through a familiar situation.

"Aww, c'mon." Natsu said, dodging the chair Lucy had just kicked at him and Happy.

"Aye! It's so quiet and boring out in the streets anyway!" Happy agreed.

"I see...so they've finished evacuating people already." Lucy said lowly, calming down.

"Yeah...so let's go hang out." Natsu suggested.

"I brought some stuff with me!" Happy added.

Lucy collected her chair, righting it and placing it back at her desk. When that was done, she sat down facing Natsu and Happy and crossed her legs and arms.

"Hey, we've got to get to the battleground early tomorrow. This is hardly the time to and unlike you guys, I'm not the least bit excited for it." Lucy told them.

"You've got that wrong. Sure, I love a good fight but what I like is contests of strength and not fights to the death." Natsu told her seriously. "My favorites are the kind of fights where I get to go all out and compare my strength with my opponent's, but this one's different. This is a fight where we've gotta do whatever it takes to win. Or else there's no future left for us. Plus I've got some things to do when all of this is over."

"Stop this...you know, they call that making "death flags" in the real world." Lucy warned him.

"Huh? Whuzzat?"

Lucy heaved a sigh. Of course Natsu wouldn't know what the term "death flags" meant.

"Well, talking about the possibility of a happy future before a big fight...and making it sound as dramatic as possible...that sort of thing." she explained.

"Yeah, whatever. Igneel told me to talk about the future. Because it's what's gonna make me want to live." Natsu replied with a wide grin.

"I guess that's fine too, huh." Lucy conceeded.

While the three were busy deciding to play a game, across town, in the guild's baths, Erza, Carla, and Wendy were talking while taking a soak.

"So Crime Sorciere will be helping us out too?" Wendy asked.

"Hmm...I guess they'd have to make their move as well if it's Zeref we're up against." Erza replied.

"That's good news then!" Wendy said happily.

"They're the people that destroyed Cait Shelter though..." Carla added in.

"Carla!" Wendy scolded.

"Oh yeah, do you remember the first time Rette and I invited you two to join us at Fairy Tail?" Erza asked.

"Yeah, and we're thankful for that." Wendy replied.

Erza wasn't so thankful now that she knew what enemy they had. She felt ashamed that she had gotten a young girl like Wendy mixed up in all the trouble they had gotten into over the years. But it couldn't be changed. It just meant that she would have to work harder to defend them all. She thought this as she climbed out of the bath.

"Erza." Erza was surprised when Wendy suddenly hugged her from behind. "Let us be the ones to protect you this time."

To Wendy's surprise, Erza twisted in her grip and hugged her back. Though she only really managed to squeeze Wendy between her bare breasts. Something that embarrassed Wendy and had her cheeks turning red.

"You've really become such a fine mage. The pride of our guild." Erza told her with a smile.

In another part of town, Gray and Juvia stood over looking the city, Gray promising give Juvia an answer for her feelings when the battle was done. Meanwhile, back at the guild hall, Makarov, Warren and Macao were busy.

"Warren, how's it looking?" Makarov asked.

"They're nowhere in Fiore yet." Warren replied.

"Can we really trust that though?" Macao asked.

"I made that super radar myself!" Warren snapped.

"Things would be a lot easier if we could pinpoint exactly which direction they will be coming from." Makarov remarked.

It was at times like this that Makarov missed having Rette and her heightened magical sense around. She could have easily sensed a large group of mages coming their way far quicker than anyone else.

"We could always place a diversion in the north and station our main forces in the south." Mavis suggested as she appeared in the room. "I've just finished checking up on everyone. And they're not the least bit worried about our situation. They've become so strong."

"So that's how you see them. To me, it seems like they're barely pulling through from all the uneasiness they're feeling and banding together like that only serves as consolation...that things aren't all that bad. I'm not saying that they shouldn't be doing so though. After all, if a parent is afraid, it's only natural that the children would feel the same too. It is the role of a parent to stand in front of their children and protect them even if their legs were to give out at any moment." Makarov said.

To that, Mavis agreed.

Just then, the radar that Warren developed, came to a stand still in it's swing, yanking hard to one side as a strong gust of magic blew through the guild hall and the town. All over town, everyone stopped in what they were doing and looked up as they sensed the magic sweeping over their empty town. Makarov turned to Warren.

"Warren! What's happening to the radar?" Makarov asked.

"What, it's my fault now!? I don't know!" Warren replied, checking the lacrima screen. The screen showed the enemy already right on top of them. "Why couldn't it detect them when they're already so close, dammit!"

"Everyone, get ready!" Mavis called. "The enemy is above us! We've got about fifty large ships in the skies above!"

"A ship that size could take out our guild in one go!" Wakaba exclaimed, peering out the window.

"That's only one part of what the empire is capable of." Makarov replied.

"Hey, nobody said anything about them coming from the skies!" Warren yelled.

"Ring the bells! The enemy is coming! There are about fifty ships in the skies west of here!" Mavis ordered.

Bells were rung, their sound carrying over the city to alert all the members of the guild to the threat of an enemy. Just as everyone was put on alert, the enemy attacked, only for the magic blast the ships shot, to hit a barrier that had been set around Magnolia. A barrier set courtesy of Freed.

"First! Freed might be strong but he won't be able to hold off all of them!" Makarov warned Mavis.

Mavis understood this, but she also knew that Freed would hang in as long as he could.

"We didn't think they'd come from the west!" Macao said. "What do we do now?"

"No...it's exactly as I've calculated. In fact, it's quite a pleasant surprise that the enemy's sent a smaller fleet than expected for the preemptive strike." Mavis said, much to Wakaba's and Macao's confusion. "Warren, let everyone know that we're moving to Plan D! Team Flying Dragon and Osprey, commence attack!"

"Got it!" Warren replied, getting in contact with Team Osprey, which was made up of Biska, Alzack, and Asuka.

" _This is Team Osprey, we're currently at the Eastern Forest. The enemy is too far_." Biska replied.

"Biska, you'll be fine." Mavis assured her.

While she wasn't completely sure of herself, Biska didn't argue with Mavis. While she got ready, Team Flying Dragon, made up of Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy, and their exceed partners, came flying in, taking down one ship before moving on to others. The ships tried shooting them down, but all they succeeded in doing was driving them back.

"Damn it! We can't get any closer with this barrage!" Lily called.

"What's taking Biska so long!?" Carla demanded.

In the Eastern Forest, Biska had finished charging the lacrima powered gun she was going to use. With Alzack and Asuka cheering her on, she took aim and shot. Everyone throughout town, looked up as the shot flew over head. Atop the main enemy ship, though, Ajeel was waiting. Raising a palm, he was able to scatter the shot, saving his ship.

"Woah, to think that anyone could scatter Jupiter like that." Lily remarked.

"Guess we gotta do this the old-fashioned way then, take me down to the commander's ship!" Gajeel ordered.

While Natsu and Wendy continued to destroy ships, Lily dropped Gajeel down on the main ship, landing him right in front of Ajeel. Natsu and Wendy landed right behind him after one final attack.

"Look at the mess you've made..."

Ajeel trailed off as all three Dragon Slayer dropped to the deck, suffering from their motion sickness. They had completely forgotten that it was a ship they were landing on. Even Mavis had forgotten about the three's motion sickness.

"Wendy, what about your Troia!?" Lily asked.

"S...sorry...I...I can't do it...like this..." Wendy got out.

"What the hell is this? Well, whatever...the ship's pretty broken up, so we'll be landing in a few. Let me deal with these ones." Ajeel told his crew. He walked up to Natsu, grabbing him by the scarf to drag him up. "Remember what you said in that grand speech of yours back in Alvarez? Is this all you've got though...what a joke."

Before Ajeel could do a thing, he was forced to release Natsu as something managed to cut right through the ship, separating the part of the deck where Natsu and the others were and the part of the deck where Ajeel stood. Ajeel stood at the edge, watching as the other part of the deck fell towards the ground below. While Happy, Lily, and Carla swooped down to save the three Dragon Slayers, Erza landed on the deck behind Ajeel. Pissed off, Ajeel turned to face Erza.

Thus begun the battle between the King of Sand and Titania.

Natsu stared at the ship, but they couldn't stay there and he couldn't go to back her up. Not that he really thought she would need it.

"A number of ships have already landed...we'll be heading there." Wendy called to Gajeel and Natsu.

"I guess we've just gotta leave this to her. It's on board a ship anyway." Gajeel conceded.

"It's Erza we're talking about, after all." Lily remarked.

Inside the guild hall, Makarov and Mavis watched the battlefield.

"She's strong, but I'm afraid she won't be able to defeat one of the 12 on her own." Makarov remarked.

"We must believe in her." Mavis insisted.

"Our morale will definitely rise if we manage to stop the enemy and his fleet!" Warren exclaimed.

Be that as it may, so far, they were handling the attack well. While Freed's defense wasn't prefect and couldn't completely shield them, thanks to Natsu's team and Biska's team, the attacks of the enemy had been cut in half.

On the west cliffs outside Magnolia, enemy ships were landing, spilling enemies just outside the barrier Freed had raised. Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel chose this as their target, landing on the enemy soldiers with flying fist and feet. The common soldiers were easy enough for them to take down. It was their captain, a large man with scars on the lower half of his face, that put up a fight. While Natsu battle him, Erza continued to wage her war with Ajeel above.

As the battles carried on, Freed and the others at the guild hall suddenly became aware of a hole that had been opened in Freed's barrier.

"It can't be...could the enemy be using nullification magic?" Mavis asked.

"Such power...there was another one of the 12 with them!?" Makarov asked.

"They're coming through the streets! Everyone, prepare for battle!" Mavis declared.

Across Magnolia, everyone moved, getting ready for a fight. Lucy, still in her house, was getting prepare to move out herself when she heard a noise from her bathroom. Wary, she went to see what it was. When she opened the door to the bathroom, she found Brandish of the Spriggan 12, soaking in her bathtub.

"Oh, so this is indeed your house then?" Brandish asked off-handed.

"What is one of the 12 doing in my bathroom!?" Lucy exclaimed, shocked.

"I wonder why...You...left a rather deep impression." Brandish told her.

With Brandish, that made a total of three of the Spriggan 12 located in, or above, Magnolia. It was starting to look bad and to top it off, there was another three hundred ships coming at them from the north with another three of the 12 on board and another army of the same size with another three of the 12, coming from the south. And from the east...an army of, at least, a million people with the final three members of the Spriggan 12.

They were surrounded.

Even Mavis was starting to doubt that there would be a way to win this war. They were cornered and thoroughly so. To make things look even bleaker, Ajeel, in an attempt to do in Erza, created a sandstorm that seemed to surround the town, filling it with sand. Sand even came spilling into the guild hall. Everyone across town, even Ajeel's own comrades, were forced to shield their eyes as sand whipped at them from every angle.

The power to shrink an entire island, the ability to summon a sandstorm large enough to swallow an entire town...the power of the Spriggan 12 wasn't something to be taken lightly. Erza found herself with her back against a wall and Ajeel's hand around her throat. Slowly, his magic was draining her body of moisture. With the sand blocking sight and no way to counter against a mage that could move through the storm as if he was sand itself, Erza went with the first solid plan to pop into her head.

She swapped into her Morning Star armor.

Across the battle field, in the Eastern Forest, Biska spotted the light of the armor. She knew, without a doubt in her mind, that it was from Erza. Taking aim, she fired out of faith in her comrade. The shot hit Ajeel head on, giving Erza the opening she needed to land the final blow to win her battle with Ajeel. Afterward, though, she fell from the sky, too exhausted to save herself. Luckily, Natsu spied her as she fell.

Leaving Gajeel, Lily, and Carla to finish dealing with the small fry that continued to swarm them, Natsu, Happy, and Wendy took off toward Erza, Natsu catching her before she could crash head long into the ground.

Across town, thanks to all the pollen Ajeel's sandstorm kicked up, Brandish came down with hay fever, leaving her unable to keep her eyes open due to all her sneezing. It gave Cana the perfect chance to just simply knock Brandish over the head, rendering her unconscious. Hoping she could be of some use, Cana and Lucy took Brandish prisoner, carting her off to the guild hall to be locked up.

In another part of the town, Gray, Juvia, and the Strauss siblings were facing off against Badd and his soldiers. They found out quickly that these mage made soldiers were made to counter whatever magic they used against them. When Juvia tried to use her water body to avoid a punch, the soldier let out steam from his arm to cause her harm. When Gray used his ice magic, the soldier countered with fire magic. To counter Elfman, his enemy was super fast, while Lisanna's was reinforced, and, stupidly enough, for Mira, it was a soldier with Elfman's face.

Badd's magic, as they found out, was to construct soldiers that could exploit his enemy's weaknesses. A formidable magic indeed. It had Gray wondering, for just a moment, what the soldiers would use against certain friends of his; mainly Erza and Rette. Especially Rette who had a well rounded set of magic spells to cover for just about every weakness a person could exploit.

Deciding that his soldiers would be enough for Gray and his friends, Badd left the fight to seek out Freed. He was met with Bixlow and Evergreen as his opponents as they stood guard over Freed. Badd used his magic to create his soldiers. For Bixlow, it was a soldier capable of using white magic to purify his dolls. For Evergreen, it was a soldier that used mist magic, leaving her unable to use her dust magic. They switched to their alternate magic, both trying to use their eye magic, but against soldiers created from magic, it had no effect.

Evergreen tried turning her stone eyes on Badd, but, once again, it had no effect. It was then that Badd revealed himself to be a machina, one of the machine race. Lightning sparked through the air then, making Evergreen, Freed, and Bixlow think, for a moment, that Laxus had come to their aid. When they looked up, though, they were confronted by the sight of Ichiya.

The Thunder Legion stared at Ichiya in horror. They had forgotten all about him, despite having hijacked him and Christina in order to go help rescue Makarov. Badd turned to Ichiya, believe it just another weak enemy to deal with, but was shocked by just how many weaknesses, how many faults, Ichiya had. It was an over load, giving Badd an analysis error. But it only caused Badd to hesitate for a moment. Ichiya attempted to use his thunder purfum to fight Badd with electricity, but since Badd was not made with organic metals, he was not susceptible to electricity.

In fact, Badd absorbed the electricity, his form changing until he discharged it back at Ichiya, taking down him, Bixlow, and Evergreen. Freed became aware, then, that Badd would have been the worst enemy for Laxus to face and was grateful that it had been Ichiya who showed up and not Laxus. Thinking that his only hope was to undo his runes and fight Badd himself, Freed started to do just that. It was then that, through Warren's connection to everyone, Laxus' voice reached him.

" _Freed! Don't undo the runes! They're attacking the guild from the west!_ "

Freed instantly buckled back down on his ruins

"My my...it seems that you instantly dispelled you runes just now. Self preservation over your precious runes. If you don't dispel your runes, you'll be killed...and thus you dispelled them without hesitation." Badd mocked.

" _Freed! What the hell is your status over there!? I'm coming to back you up!_ " came Laxus' yell in Freed's head.

' _No!_ ' Freed thought back through the connection. ' _Do not come here! We are the Thunder Legion...your bodyguards. We exist to protect you, Laxus! No...not just you...the entire guild!_ '

Bixlow and Evergreen attacked Badd then, from behind. They wouldn't give up, not now. They had their whole guild to think about. There was no time for them to roll over and play dead.

"I see...you still have quite a bit of fight left in you." Badd remarked, glancing over his shoulder.

"The Thunder Legion is far from running on empty!" Bixlow declared.

"It'll take more than this to bring us down!" Evergreen agreed.

Badd sent the two flying, ordering his soldiers to deal with them. Elfman's voice came ringing into Evergreen's head at that moment.

" _If you have more than two over there, then let's switch opponents, Ever!_ "

Back over with Gray's group, some of them had switched opponents, Gray taking on Juvia's steam user while Juvia took on Gray's fire user. Once the opponents were switched, it became easy work for them to fight. They just proved that a even Badd's so-called Weakness Soldiers, had a weakness all of their own. Taking a page out of their comrades' book, Evergreen and Bixlow switched their opponents, easily taking on the solider that had previously given the other an issue.

But, they were one step too slow. Badd already had Freed's head clasped in his metal hand, ready to end Freed's life as he knew it. Just as Badd was about to end Freed's life, Natsu's voice came through, loud and clear.

" _Enemies from the west...elinated...Hey! Can you hear me!? Can of whoop ass opened on the invaders from the west!_ "

Freed couldn't help the smile that curled his lips. Leave it to Natsu and his group to come through at the last second.

"I'd expect nothing less of you, Natsu." Freed remarked. "Now then...I can fight to my heart's content!"

Badd never knew what hit him. Between Freed and Ichiya, who used one of his purfumes to make himself ripped, they took down Badd with one hit.

With that, they had managed to make it through the night and survive the enemy's first wave of attack. Three of the twelve members of the Spriggan 12, were defeated, one even taken prisoner. With this victory, morale among the guild was boosted, and hope bloomed to life in every member. Maybe, just maybe, they could win this war after all.

And then Kardia Cathedral...blew up.

Badd, in a last attempt to take his enemies with him, triggered a self destruct feature in his body, blowing up the church. In a bid to save Ichiya, who had been standing on Badd's head, Freed, Evergreen, and Bixlow had shielded him with their bodies. With that, they were now down three fighters and with enemies still on their way.

To the south, heading for Hargeon was an army lead by Dimaria and Wahl. Still thirty kilometers from shore, Wahl fired his super long distance anti-material magic canon, a canon that could reach all the way to Magnoila, which was another four hundred kilometers past that. Warren's radar picked up on it as it was closing in on them and fast. Mavis tried to get Freed to recast his barrier, but he wasn't responding. Instead, someone else answered the call.

In order to save Fairy Tail and repay Freed, Evergreen, and Bixlow for saving his life, Ichiya flew Christina into the path of the canon shot. Even with the ship now destroyed, Ichiya was able to get out one message to every guild that Fairy Tail had ever befriend. From Lamia Scale, to Sabertooth, to Blue Pegasus, Mermaid Heel, and even Quarto Cerberus. The message was simply.

Take up the fight, together.

END

Kyandi: Ichiya's not that bad.

Rette: He's not too bad...in small dosages.

Kyandi: Not someone you can handle for long periods?

Rette: Can you handle your sister for long periods?

Kyandi: Which one?

Rette: Your Evil Idea Generator.

Kyandi: No.

Rette: Yeah, well...my answer is the same.

Kyandi: Oh, come on. That's completely different. She's my sister.

Rette: An annoying person is an annoying person no matter the connection.

Kyandi: Bu...Okay, yeah, I see your point.

Rette: Told you so.

Kyandi: Anyway, everyone enjoy and review.

Rette: It's two in the morning so we'll be back with the other chapter tomorrow.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	38. Return of the Nexus Mage

Kyandi: Uh...hey, everyone...don't kill me.

Laxus: If you're scared of being killed, then why didn't you take forever?

Kyandi: I'm sorry! I tried! I had no muse or motivation.

Laxus: And you're cranky, why?

Kyandi: I wasn't able to write a single thing for a month! _**A month!**_ Do you know how long that is in Kyandiac years?

Laxus: In what?

Kyandi: Kyandiac years. It's freaking forever!

Laxus: You're nuts. If you ain't gonna get on with it, I'm leaving.

Kyandi: Oh, fine! Everyone, enjoy and review. I don't own Fairy Tail. If I did, Laxus would have manners.

Laxus: Keep pushin' and I'll kill you.

Chapter 39 Return of the Nexus Mage

"Well lookie here...a fairy for me to devour! Ehehehe!"

Laxus was snapped out of his staring when he heard those words. While the sound was definitely that of Rette's voice, her speech was off. It was a strange thing for him to notice, but Rette's speech was always polite, indifferent, and, for the most part, grammatically correct. She didn't say words like "lookie" and she definitely didn't giggle like a loon. Something wasn't right.

Hell, a lot of things weren't right.

When he didn't say anything, she bent forward, one long, maroon painted nail going to her lips as she studied him. Her eyes traveled over his body, lingering in spots that Rette's eyes had never traveled to before. Rette didn't pay much attention to physical appearances. When she did, it was usually the eyes since she had a thing about her own eyes. Her eyes had never lingered in the places they were now. She was usually a very innocent kind of person when it came to stuff like that. His example being how she had reacted when he had pulled her into the bathtub with him and Yuri and had striped her.

But this girl...she licked her lips, as if she had just seen the tastiest thing in the world, before she slowly made her way towards him, swaying her hips in a movement that would have been seductive if he wasn't sure there was something wrong with her head.

"What's wrong, stud? Did a fairy hunter get your tongue?" she purred, giggling once more at her own joke.

What the hell had happened to her? It was like the woman had lost her mind, which he had thought impossible. Rette had come through so much in her life and had kept a firm hold on her mental state. For that to snap now...he didn't want to think about what her father had to do to her for that to happen. He watched as she got closer, until she dropped to one knee in front of him, leaning forward to peer up into his face with a sultry grin. Purring almost like a cat, she trekked two fingers up his chest, getting closer by the second. It was only when her face was just inches from his, that he spoke.

"You're not Rette."

He watched her stop, her eyes searching his with a brief moment of sanity. Then she was grinning once more, that sane moment gone. Laughing she leaned forward to press her chest against his.

"Of course I am, big boy. Well..." Her grin twisted, a giggle escaping her. "Somewhat."

And that was suppose to mean what?

Laxus frowned as he looked down at her. Rette, or whoever this was, was really laying on the charm, flirting as if she thought she was the hottest thing in the world. The Rette he knew, didn't even know what the word 'flirt' meant. She didn't even try to flirt because the mere thought of it made her cringe. Hell, Rette didn't even know how to handle it when others flirted. Her usual response was to walk away or pretend like the person hadn't said a word.

Whoever this was, acted like she had been flirting all of her life.

Not Rette.

Couldn't be Rette.

But...

Laxus looked down at this woman's face, his eyes locking in on the same two toned eyes he had been fixated on since he first saw them. He found himself fixating on them now as she pressed closer and closer to him, her face getting closer. He had never seen Rette so bold before, but here they were, with her getting so close that his nose was filled with her scent. Though, it wasn't the scent he remembered. Rette, the Rette he knew, smelled of lavender, sunshine, and the crisp smell of something definitely cold. This woman who called herself Rette smelled of iron, something bitter, and what he was sure was the smell of stale water.

Not a pleasant mix.

He was just snapping out of his thoughts, becoming aware of the threat of sharp teeth aiming for his throat, when something grabbed the impostor by the back of her top and pulled.

"Get the hell away from him!"

There was a protesting screech from the Rette impostor as she was sent flying backwards away from Laxus. It took a moment for Laxus to figure out what had just happened. When he did and looked up...he found Torin standing in front of him. He was half turned towards Laxus, his eyes set on a pile of busted crates that he had just sent the Rette impostor flying through. When she didn't instantly reappear, he turned to look at Laxus.

"You're a serious idiot." Torin told him.

"Come again?" Laxus growled.

There was an annoyed yell, forcing the two to turn and look back at the impostor as she shoved herself free of the crate. When her eyes landed on Torin, they were wild with insane anger.

"Torin, ya half breed jackass! What the hell do ya think you're doing here!?" she growled.

That mouth definitely didn't belong to Rette.

Letting out a growl, she caught herself and took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. The grin returned to her face as she dusted herself off. Torin took a step back, keeping himself between Laxus and her.

"I said you're a serious idiot because...that's not my sister." Torin told Laxus.

This earned Torin laughter from the person in question. The laugh could only be described as looney. With that laugh, she flipped Torin off, making Torin frown.

"I hate to break it to ya, but I am Rette. Or should I say...I'm Amoreta. Who cares which way, right?" she remarked with a shrug. She seemed a little confused on the subject, but shrugged it off easily with another laugh. She wrapped her arms tight around herself, a grin curling her lips once more when she saw the look of confusion on Laxus' face. "Aww~! You don't get it, do ya Stud?"

Laxus was positive that this was not the Rette he knew. He didn't need Torin to tell him that. Rette had had her moments when she had wanted to knock him over the head, and she had done so many times, but she had never gone for his throat as this impostor had. Not even when he had seriously pissed her off. He didn't even need the off feeling of her magic to tell him that this wasn't Rette.

"What the hell have you done with Rette?" Laxus demanded.

"I told ya, Stud. I am Rette." she purred.

"Bull. Rette doesn't act like you. She has some dignity." Laxus retorted.

The Rette before him stared at him in wide eyed surprise for a moment, then broke out into a bout of insane laughter, gripping her sides as she bent in two. It seemed she found his statement to be hilarious. Even more so when she saw the annoyance and anger on his face.

"Well, well, well, aren't you a clever little fairy. Ehehe! Oh! I get it...you're in love with her, arent'cha Stud?" she asked, snickering as if the whole thing was ridiculous.

Not what seemed two years ago to him, Laxus might have agreed with her on the whole thing being ridiculous. He had been more obsessed with making the Fairy Tail guild the biggest and baddest. Love hadn't even registered in his mind. And then Rette had come walking into his life, calling him annoying at their very first meeting. She had driven him insane, annoying him at several turns and she made it very difficult to be honest with his feelings, but she had also accepted him as he was, had given him a second chance without being asked, and had shown him that even someone who had made nothing but mistakes in their life, could still have an awesome family like Fairy Tail.

So love?

Yeah, he was in love alright.

Completely, over the top, head over heels in love.

"You're completely right. She's not my sister. Not fully." Torin told Laxus.

"Fully?" Laxus repeated. "What the hell do you know about all of this?"

"I warned you and your guild to run away if you thought you saw Rette. This...this creature isn't my sister. Not anymore." Torin replied.

"Aw, poor, poor Torin and poor little fairy. For all tends and purposes, I am Rette! Well, part of her."

Laxus turned his eyes back to the impostor before him. It dawned on him then just who this was and, in a way, Torin was right. This wasn't the Rette he knew. She was part of Rette, in a way, but she was a part that Rette hated with all her heart and only bore against her will. A part that Laxus hadn't had any experience with yet.

"You're the demon her bastard father put in her." Laxus growled.

"Ding ding! We have a winner. Good looking and clever, huh. No wonder she liked you so much." Amoreta, the demon, laughed.

Laxus didn't get how the balance between Rette and Amoreta had worked. He hadn't even been conscious when Lachlan had forced the seal to release Rette's demon half. He understood that when it came to the balance between Rette's human and demon forms, the seal was used as a sort of switch between the two, but when it came to the balance between Rette's mind and the demon's...it had to be a dangerous balancing act that she barely maintain.

That being said, Rette had managed the act for years. He had a hard time believing that she had finally lost the control she had fought hard to maintain.

"How did you get control? What did you do to Rette?" Laxus demanded.

Amoreta started snickering once more. She honestly seemed tickled pink about the whole thing, as if it was all a joke. Laxus didn't find it funny.

"She's not 'in control', as you put it. She has her own body now. That is not my sister in any way anymore." Torin told Laxus.

"The bastard spawn is right. My dear Master Zeref gave it to me!" Amoreta said, practically wiggling on the spot in giddy joy. "You're stupid little Rette went lookin' for her dear old daddy after your guild went to Splitsville. The fucking moron. She walked right into Master Zeref's brilliant plan! He used her to make an exact copy of her body before freeing me from her and putting me in here. It was a very painful process...ehehe...for her, that is. More painful than anything she's ever been through."

Amoreta's eyes widened as she clapped her hands to her face, her grin as wide as it could possibly be. It was as if she was the happiest in the world that Rette had suffered when she had already suffered enough. Laxus swore she got a hard on from the though while it just made him sick to his stomach with anger and concern for Rette.

"Oh how she screamed~! It drew all the magical power out of her when they took me out. Not a drop was left! She didn't even have the strength to lift her own head! Ehehehe! I imagine she's died by now, all alone in that cold little cell they threw her in. She was already half dead, so they simply left her there to die. And what a fitting end for such a stupid girl!" Amoreta cheered.

Torin held out an arm as Laxus got to his feet and took a step towards Amoreta. The blonde man was shaking as his hands curled into fists at his side. The mere thought of Rette, his Rette, dead because she had tried to rid herself of the nightmare that had plagued her her whole life, made him angry. Angry at Rette for leaving to go after Lachlan, angry that she hadn't taken any of them with her, angry at the bastards that had hurt her. He knew one thing for sure...when he met this Lachlan, he was going to slowly beat the man to death.

But he wasn't going to believe that Rette was dead. She had promised him that she would come back, that they would see each other again. She wouldn't break that promise. Ever. Not to mention...Torin was perfectly calm. If he was really Rette's brother and if he cared then he would be upset if it was true and Rette was dead. Right?

Laxus glanced at Torin who was simply watching Amoreta, calm as could be, if not a little annoyed. His eyes returned to Amoreta who was still wiggling on the spot.

"Ah, she was such a pitiful sight. Of course, she never said a word as they pulled me from her, but I could hear her every thought. Always so worried about the lot of ya! The girl was hopeless, over the top looney! I liked her better when she cared only about herself. At least then she had some sense in her head! And look at her now! She probably died in that cell, wonderin' if I had already killed her beloved family. I really hope she died in despair. Oh, what a delicious thought! Ehehehe!"

The two of them watched as Amoreta did a little dance on the spot, squirming with joy at the thought of Rette dying in despair. All the while, every word that left her mouth, drove Laxus' temper higher and higher. It completely swamped out any other feelings, except for one; guilt. He should have gone after her the moment he found the letter, should have found some way to locate her. His hands were curled so tightly, that his knuckles had gone white long ago. Torin glanced at Laxus, and then skyward, before turning his attention back to Amoreta.

"Hey, Amoreta." Amoreta turned her eyes to Torin, raising an eyebrow in questioning. Torin, a grin on his face, jabbed a thumb upwards. "Just thought I'd give you a heads up. Master's awfully pissed at you right now."

"Huh?" Amoreta just blinked in confusion, unable to figure out what he meant.

"I mean, she's reeaallllyyyy pissed. So, yeah...heads up!"

Torin pointed upwards, grinning brightly. Confused, Amoreta looked upwards. When she did, Torin turned and pushed Laxus back, telling him to take cover...just as something dropped from the sky to land right on the spot where Amoreta stood. The resulting explosion kicked up a wind that knocked Torin and Laxus off their feet as well as shook the whole city, making everyone look in the direction of the cause.

"What the hell was that?" Laxus demanded, as he shoved a board off him that had fallen.

"I told you...Master's pissed." Torin replied, getting to his feet and dusting himself off. He offered Laxus a hand up, pulling him to his feet when he took the hand. The two turned to look where Amoreta had been standing. As the smoke cleared, it revealed Amoreta, now standing several yards away from her original spot, having dodged the attack. "After all...she doesn't like people messing with what's hers."

Hearing that one sentence had Laxus fixing his eyes on the smoke dense spot where the attacker had landed. He had a really good idea on who Torin's so called master was. His lips slowly begun to curl up was the smoke thinned to reveal the curvy form and long, pale silver hair he remembered. When the smoke cleared completely, Laxus grinned. He knew it.

Rette.

He knew, the moment he looked at her, that this was his Rette. The two toned eyes that turned to look at him as he grinned, had none of the insanity he had seen in Amoreta's eyes. The expression was indifferent, but as her eyes landed on him, a soft smile curled her lips. This was Rette with her soft, restrained smile, with her expressive eyes that told him with one look just how much she missed him.

Her hair had grown back out, the now waist long length tied into a high pony tail with bangs cut to hang over the left eye until they hit her cheek bone. She wore the same barely there clothes in the the form of shorts that barely covered what needed to be covered and a sleeveless, coat-like top with slits down the front and back starting at just beneath her breasts. The neck was open enough to show the lavender Fairy Tail mark still between her collar bones as well as the lightning bolt tattoos that followed the line of her collar bones.

But the choker was missing, showing that she no longer had the seal around her neck. Her gloves were missing, showing crystal bands around each of her wrists that shifted from one color to the next endlessly, her charm bracelet secure around the left wrist, but one thing was there that Laxus had not expected to see.

Laxus had been told that when Rette had died, a year ago, and had come back, all scars on her body had vanished. As if she had been completely reborn, her body a clean slate. As Laxus' eyes scanned her, trying to assure him that she was there and in one piece, they snagged on her stomach. There, spreading across her otherwise scar-free skin, was a new scar. It was just as jagged and horrible as the last, but this one was longer and thicker. Despite the pain that must have come with the scar...Rette just wasn't Rette without the scar.

"Hey Master." Torin greeted, nearing his sister.

The moment he was within reach...Rette hauled off and smacked him over the head. Torin dropped into a crouch, clutching his head as he repeated "ow" under his breath. Rette stood over him, her hands on her hips as she glared down at her brother.

"You disobedient, mischief making, little brother...I do believe I told you to observe, not go get into a fight with Amoreta!" Rette scolded.

"Sorry, Master." Torin replied.

"And how many times have I told you not to call me that?" Rette asked.

"This week? Nine thousand, three hundred and seventy-three."

"So why are you still calling me it?" Rette asked.

"Because you've only smacked me for it nine thousand, three hundred and seventy-one times." Torin replied, as if it was an obvious answer.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Allow me to correct this grievance."

Laxus winced when Rette smacked her brother twice over the head, reducing him to clutching his head once more. Rette anchored both fist to her hips once she had smacked him.

"There, counting error corrected. Now stop with that ridiculous nickname." Rette told him.

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry, Sis." Torin told her, still rubbing his head.

This was definitely his Rette. She treated Torin almost exactly like she treated Gray and Natsu when the two got on her nerves. She was just as strict of a sister with Torin as she was an adopted sister with Gray and Natsu. With her brother handled, Rette turned to look at Laxus, a smile returning to her lips.

"Well, if it isn't the Annoying Man." she remarked.

"You got a lot of explaining to do." he told her instead of responding to the annoying man comment.

"Yeah, I know." Rette replied.

Crazy laughter suddenly reached their ears, keeping the two from talking anymore. Rette turned towards Amoreta, as Laxus stepped up to her side, Torin standing on her other side.

"If it isn't itty bitty Rette. So you did make it out of that cell. That bastard beside you helped, didn't he?" Amoreta asked, her eyes snapping to Torin as he moved a step closer to his sister.

"So what if I did? What all of you were doing to her wasn't right and she's my sister. Of course I'm going to pick her over the demon that calls himself our father." Torin replied.

"You really are the spineless, half breed bastard of a useless cunt, ain't ya?" Amoreta asked, her grin spreading when Torin took one step towards her.

Rette held out an arm, stopping her brother from going a step further. Torin looked down at Rette, who shook her head in return to his silent question.

"She's not worth it, Torin. We both know your mother was a saint. Nothing she says can change that." Rette told him.

"Yeah, but..."

Rette laid a hand on his arm. Torin met his sister's eyes and finally nodded. He stepped back. Rette watched him for a moment before turning to look at Amoreta who was grinning as she lowly giggled to herself.

"Aw, going to do what sissy says?" Amoreta mocked. "Then you're boring."

Amoreta turned her eyes to Laxus instead, a slow grin curling her lips once more. Rette had a good feeling that she wasn't going to like what Amoreta was about to do. Amoreta started swaying once more, one finger going to the corner of her mouth as she bit on her bottom lip.

"You'll play with me, won't ya, Stud?" she purred. "We're exactly the same, me and her. Our bodies are the same all over. Even down here..."

Rette's hand snapped up, covering Laxus' eyes as Amoreta's hands went for her skirt, lifting the front half. Torin instantly covered his eyes while his sister simply heaved an annoyed sigh.

"She's not wearing anything under that, is she?" Laxus asked.

"I don't so what makes you think she does?" was Rette's retort.

"I so don't need to see that. It's my sister's body for crying out loud." Torin mumbled, disturbed by the whole thing.

"Good little brother." Rette told him.

Amoreta couldn't contain her laughter at the whole thing as she dropped her skirt and gripped her sides. Rette removed her hand from Laxus' eyes, annoyed rather than amused.

"Torin, do me a favor." Rette called.

"Yeah?" Torin asked.

Rette held out her left hand, a magic circle appearing. With a flick of her hand, a burst of light hit Amoreta hard, blasting her back off her feet and sending her flying off over the city and towards the battlefield outside the city.

"Go fetch." Rette ordered. "Big sister needs to have a talk with the Annoying Man."

"On it."

Torin took off after Amoreta, vanishing quickly. For a long moment, Laxus and Rette stood there, staring in the direction that Torin and Amoreta had vanished into. Laxus finally turned his eyes to the back of Rette's head.

"Rette-"

Laxus cut of in surprise as Rette turned on heel and jumped at him. Already exhausted from his fight with Wahl, his legs gave under her weight and he plopped back onto his butt, Rette landing in his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck. Saying he was shocked was an understatement. Rette wasn't usually the one to jump another for a hug.

"Rette?" he asked.

"...Just...Just give me a minute. I've missed you...so much..."

And that was another surprise. Rette actually admitting, out loud of her own will, that she missed him. He knew she had missed him during the seven years he had been on Tenrou Island, but he only knew that because she had been sleep-talking. Their relationship wasn't one of openly admitting their feelings, so he was a little confused as to what was going on.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Without the demon, I no longer have that inability to express my feelings. That being said, it's still embarrassing, so shut up and let me finish before I lose my nerve." she told him.

"Alright."

Admittedly, he was curious to hear what she had to say to him that was so embarrassing. He had an idea as to what she wanted to tell him and the mere thought made his heart skip a beat. Was she about to do what he thought she was going to do?

"When I left...part of me wanted to stay until you woke up, but," Rette heaved a sigh. "most of me was terrified to face you. There were several reasons why I was scared to face you, and one of those was that I was afraid you would be able to tell what I was about to do and that you would stop me."

"Damn straight!" Laxus snapped.

"And you would have stopped me easily without force. I knew all you would have to do was look me in the eye and ask me to stay and I wouldn't be able to leave. Especially not after all you suffered trying to save Freed, Mr. Yajima, and the others from that demon. And do you know how scared I was when I saw you? I was so terrified you would die and so pissed off that someone had done that to you."

Rette's grip around his neck tightened. He could feel her take a deep breath to calm herself. She really had been upsetted by his state back then. He had heard how she had scared Porlyusica into getting out of her way so she could go see him after Freed had gotten them back to the guild hall.

"When I finally came face to face with the demon that had hurt all of you, the anger was so intense, so blinding...I think I blacked out because the next thing I knew, I had the demon's blood on my hands and he was no more than bits and pieces. It just made me so angry..." Something she didn't have to explain to him. "I wanted to stay and see you get better with my own eyes, but I knew I wouldn't be able to leave if I did that. And there's a reason for that."

"What are you getting at?" he asked.

"Laxus," Laxus turned his head to try to look at her face when she actually used his name. "You're annoying, sometimes cocky, and boorish."

Not exactly a compliment, but he supposed he deserved it. It wasn't like he could deny the cocky and boorish comments because he had been just that when they had met.

"But..." Rette said, trailing off.

"But?"

"But you really do have a kind heart that cares for your comrades. You're fierce, loyal, and not afraid to face down anyone you have to in order to protect others. I knew, when I first met you that despite being annoying...you could never harm those you had claimed to hate. Freed, Bixlow, and Evergreen never would have followed you so loyally if that were the case. So, yes, you annoy me, and there are times when I want to hit you, but then I think of the thoughtful gift you gave me. Even when gone, even when I was in that cell, that little trinket, knowing it came from you, and thoughts of you, were what got me through the days."

She thought that highly of him? She thought of him that much? Wait, then did that mean..? Was she trying to say what he thought she was trying to say? He really wished he could see her face, but she never moved back from hugging him.

"What are you trying to say, Rette?" he asked.

He felt her breath bellow over his ear as she heaved a sigh. She seemed to debate for a moment before she raised her face, pulling back from him slightly so that she could look him in the eye. Her next action surprised him, but in a completely pleasant way.

Rette leaned forward...and kissed him.

He had kissed her before, yes, but she hadn't kissed him. This was completely out of the blue, not that he was complaining. Not that it was anything more than lips on lips. A chaste enough kiss. Before he could change that, she pulled back, looking him in the eye once more. He was surprised to find that her cheeks were turning pink.

"Laxus...I love you."

Wait... **what!?**

Laxus stared at Rette, unable to process what she had just said. She had just told him the one thing he had been wanting to tell her for the past year. Before he could think of anything to say, she continued to speak.

"I knew years ago when you vanished along with the others on Tenrou Island, that I had fallen for you. Even though I tried to deny it then. And now," Rette's arms slid from around his shoulder as she sat back on her heel. "Now you know everything about me, right down to the fact that I'm literally a spawn of a demon. After all I've kept from you and all that you've found out, I would understand. I told you in the letter I left...if you don't want to see me again, then I will leave when this war is done. I just wanted to say it, at least once."

She moved to pull completely away from him, as if she was the only one that could have a say in this conversation, but Laxus wasn't going to let that fly. Grabbing her wrist, he yanked her back into his chest, wrapping one arm around her while tilting her face back with his free hand. She was waiting for his kiss when his lips descended on hers. If he could have, he would have spent the rest of the day like that, but that wasn't an option.

He lingered only for a moment before he broke the kiss. Leaning back just enough to see her face, his eyes met hers. As sternly as possible, he told her what he should have told her a long time ago.

"You're not getting away from me that easily. I don't give a damn about your old man or what you are. To me, you'll always be the only woman to ever stop me dead in my tracks...the only woman I love." Rette's eyes widened when the word 'love' left his mouth. Laxus wasn't usually the one to share his feelings, though he knew when something was important to him and this was one of those things. "I'm not letting go of you, not this time, not ever again. I will chain you to my side if I have to. If you ever leave again, ever even think about doing it, I will hunt your ass down."

While it sounded more like a threat than a declaration of love, Rette got what he was trying to get through. He wasn't going to let her leave him again and she was just fine with that. He could hold on for as long as they lived and she would be a happy woman.

"Do I make myself clear?" he asked.

"Crystal clear." Rette replied, a smile curling her lips. "So kiss me again."

Laxus gladly did as told. He was probably a little more vigorous with this kiss than he meant to be because he felt her wince slightly when he kissed her again. How long the kiss lasted, he didn't know. He had gone a year without being able to see Rette. He wasn't letting her go until he was good and satisfied with the kiss.

When air finally demanded they break apart, Laxus grinned when he saw her face. The pink that had been in her cheeks, was now a full blown red and her lips were kiss-swollen. Everyone would be able to tell what she had been up to for a while.

And Laxus couldn't be more pleased.

For a moment, Rette sat there, trying to gather her thoughts. And then she cleared her throat, giving her head a shake. As if she finally remembered where they were, she turned all business on him.

"I need to find Torin and Amoreta." she said, pulling away from him. Laxus moved to follow her and get up, but she pushed him back down, shaking her head at him. "You stay here and rest. We'll need your strength again before this whole thing is over."

Laxus didn't want to let her out of his sight again so soon, but judging from the way Torin had gone, Rette would be heading towards Gray and the others. Laxus knew that once they saw Rette, they wouldn't let her vanish again. And she was right. He knew this fight was far from over. He would need all the rest he could get. So he let go of her.

"Be careful." he told her.

"I will be. Don't worry too much. Torin is just as over protective as I am. And don't get me started on Maddox." Rette remarked, heaving a sigh.

"Who's Maddox?" Laxus asked.

An explosion rocked the city then, followed by soldiers flying up into the distant sky. Rette glanced over her shoulder and heaved another sigh.

"That. That's Maddox." Rette said. "I have two brothers, not one. Maddox is the younger one and he has the inhuman strength of his demon half when he's displeased. He's lost sight of me, so he's obviously displeased."

"There's two of them?" Laxus asked.

"Yes. They're a bit hot headed at times and Maddox tends to destroy things if he's being careless, but they're good guys. But if Maddox is getting into the fight, then I need to get over there quickly. He doesn't know who is on our side and who isn't. He might hurt someone by accident."

Laxus nodded. Rette bent, giving him one quick peck on the cheek before she turned and took off, calling over her shoulder for him to get some rest.

Outside the town, Gray and his friends were watching as Torin wrestled with who they thought was Rette. A younger version of Torin with shorter hair and wearing an open vest over pants tucked into boots, had assured them that the girl wasn't really Rette, but he hadn't bothered to explain who she was or why she looked exactly like Rette. It had left them all really confused. Especially when she had attacked Gray and Lyon when they had tried to help her when she first showed up.

"Maddox! Tag, you're it!" Torin called suddenly.

He rolled free of the Rette look-alike and Maddox pounced in...creating a crater in the process. Torin popped to his feet and retreated back until he stood beside Gray and Lyon, bending over to put his hands on his knees while he fought to catch his breath.

"God, she's a pain in the ass." Torin remarked. "At least the real Rette cooks me dinner after she knocks the crap out of me."

"You sure that's not Rette?" Gray asked.

"Does she act like the Rette you know?" Torin retorted.

"No."

"Then keep that in mind. I warned you guys and she," Torin pointed to Amoreta as she attacked Maddox only to be seized by the face and thrown back. "is the reason why I said that."

"Who, or what, is she then?" Lyon asked.

"I assume you knew that our father, Lachlan, sealed a demon in her, right?" Torin asked.

"I heard a rumor." Lyon replied.

"Yeah, well...a year ago, Rette showed up at our Alvarez base, looking for dear old dad. Walked right into a trap that he and Zeref had left for her. Once caught, Zeref made a magical copy of Rette's body, removed the demon from Rette, and shoved it into that body. That would be Amoreta there." Torin explained, gesturing towards Amoreta. "She, Lachlan, and Zeref all thought they left Rette in the darkest, farthest out of sight cell they had to die, but Maddox and I got her out."

"You were raised by Lachlan, right? Why side with Rette?" Gray asked.

"We were raised by our mother, Rette's aunt. Whatever my mother might have said to Lachlan's face, she was always on Rette's side. She saw what he did to her sister, to Rette's mother, what he did to Rette, and to top it all off...there's suppose to be four of us."

Torin fell silent, letting that sink into their heads. When they finally seemed to figure it out, Torin stood up straight, his eyes following Maddox and Amoreta as the two fought.

"We had a little sister as well. Her name was Jezabelle. She and Rette could have been twins, they looked so much alike. After Rette managed to pull one over on Lachlan...he took it out on Jezzy and ended up killing her before she could even turn eight. The anger and sadness over that, mixed with all the stories our mother use to tell us about Rette...Lachlan's been our enemy our whole lives. So when Rette showed up, we knew we had to help her. We would have gotten her out before the removal of Amoreta, which would have saved us months of waiting for her to recover, but Rette had already had the whole thing planned out." Torin explained.

"Planned out? You mean Rette counted on being caught!?" Gray asked.

"Yeah. She knew the only two people in the world that could remove the demon, was the two that put her there in the first place. It was actually a clever plan...up until the part of how she would escape. If it hadn't been for my brother and I, she would have wasted away in that cell before she recovered enough to escape on her own. She was a mess when we got her out." Torin replied.

"Where is Rette now!?" Gray asked.

Torin looked at Gray before his eyes turned skyward. He stared upwards for a moment before he grinned.

"Oh, she's on her way." Torin told him. "Hey, Maddox! Tag out!"

Maddox, after kicking Amoreta away from him, turned to look at his brother, a questioning look on his face. Torin, the grin still on his face, jabbed a thumb upwards. Maddox took one look upwards and flung himself away from Amoreta. A moment later, something came crashing into Amoreta. Amoreta flew back, someone rolling with her. When they separated, gasps of relief and joy sounded.

"Rette!" Wendy cried in joy.

Rette now stood facing Amoreta, the two looking almost like mirror images. Facing each other, it was as if all other fighting faded to the background. An obscene magical energy fell over the battlefield as Rette's eyes narrowed in anger. It clashed with another, darker magical energy as Amoreta grinned wide enough to flash fang-like teeth.

"Is...is that **their** magical energy!?" Gray asked.

"Oh yeah. Now that she doesn't have to worry about losing control on the demon, Rette can let loose and go all out. This is what you get when Rette really loses her temper with no bars held. You all might want to take a step back now." Torin replied.

Sure enough, without warning, Rette rocketed forward and the fight begin. A fight that had everyone close to them, flying backwards off their feet. Gray didn't know what kind of limiter the demon had been to Rette and her magic, but without it now...Gray flew back onto his back as Rette's and Amoreta's next collision blew up in their faces. The sheer force in which Rette attacked her demon counter part was massive. Either Rette had bloomed into her own over the last year, or she had been holding back an awful lot since joining Fairy Tail.

Gray let out a wince as he watched Rette's shin connect with the side of Amoreta's head. The demon rolled as her back hit the ground and popped back to her feet. She hissed at Rette as she pressed a hand to her head.

"You have treated my friends so shamefully, you and all of your soldiers here. For that, you will pay dearly." Rette told Amoreta, popping one knuckle at a time.

"You really think you have what it takes to defeat me, itty bitty Rette?" Amoreta asked, giggling.

"We both already know I'm the smarter one. For example..." Rette pointed downward, making Amoreta look down, finding a magic array set up beneath her feet.

"Oh you bit-"

With a flick of her left hand, Rette set off the spell, sending Amoreta flying with a pillar of light. Raising her right hand to shadow her eyes, Rette watched as Amoreta's figure vanished into the distance. Torin and Maddox chose then to pop up on either side of Rette.

"That was your Pillar of Shame spell, wasn't it, sis?" Maddox asked.

"Yeah, it was." Rette replied.

"Do I want you to remind me of the effects of that spell on the receiving end?" Torin asked.

"Not really. But if she's dumb enough to come back, I'll handle it. For all of her power, she's a real idiot." Rette remarked.

Just then, Rette staggered forward as, with a yell of her name, Wendy threw her arms around Rette's waist. Behind Wendy, came Juvia, the girl throwing her arms around Rette's neck. Maddox and Torin stepped out of the way as their sister stumbled under the weight of the two.

"Alright, alright, you two. I missed you too." Rette told them, patting Wendy's head as she hugged Juvia with the other arm.

"Where the hell have you been, Rette!?" Gray demanded, as he, Lyon, Chelia, and Carla joined them.

"Sabel Island." Rette replied.

"What Island?" Gray asked.

"Sabel Island is a small island off the coast of Alvarez." Torin explained.

"It once played home to the Compound where I grew up." Rette added.

"You went back there!?" this came from several of her friends.

"Of course we did." Maddox piped in.

"After Rette's escape, Lachlan moved bases and burned the Compound. He figured that Rette would be so terrified of the place, she would never go near Sabel Island again. So when we got her out of her cell, Rette had us take her there. She's been recovering there up until about a few weeks ago. She sent me ahead to observe things while she and Maddox took their time to get here." Torin added.

"You knew this was going to happen?" Lyon asked, looking at Rette.

"I over heard a lot while locked up. They thought I was dying, so they didn't try to hide their plans from me. In fact, Lachlan taunted me with the information. I really can't believe he's lived this long with how stupid he is." Rette replied, heaving a sigh. "I really am ashamed to admit he's my biological father."

"You and us, both." Torin muttered, Maddox nodding in agreement.

"That being said," Rette turned to look at Gray as he stomped up to her. Juvia and Wendy let go of her as Gray seized her by the shoulders and begun to shake. "What the hell were you thinking! Taking off on your own to face Lachlan and Zeref!? How stupid can _**you**_ be!?"

"I'll be really stupid if you keep shaking me like this. My brain is rattling about my skull." Rette replied.

Gray stopped shaking, his head hanging as he grit his teeth in anger. Rette had no idea. She just didn't know what they had thought when they couldn't find her. It had him shaking as he recalled all the fear they had felt for her. Gray jolted in surprise when Rette's arms came up, suddenly hugging him.

"I'm sorry."

Gray's head came up, surprised to hear the words come out of her mouth. Moving one arm, she held it out to Juvia and Wendy, inviting them into the hug with a smile on her face. It surprised them for a moment, before with tears of joy in their eyes, they dived into the hug.

"I'm sorry I scared all of you. I honestly just wanted to eliminate the one enemy I could defeat. And I could defeat him. As long as I knew I had the support of all of you, I knew I could put an end to this fight once and for all." Rette said.

"But why did you go alone!? We would have helped you!" Gray told her.

Rette took a step back, giving them all a smile. .

"Help?" Rette shook her head. "You helped me by merely giving me a reason to live. I wasn't going to make all of you cry again."

"Oh, so you care so much if you make them cry but it's no big deal if we worry." Torin growled darkly, Maddox shaking his head from where he stood behind his brother.

Rette looked at her brothers, her expression blank, as the two took on similar poses, both of them anchoring their fists on their hips. Sometimes she swore she had sisters instead of brothers with how big of a pair of drama queens they were.

"Need we have this conversation again? You two worry over _**everything**_. If I so much as get a paper cut, the two of you worry. It's ridiculous. I'm not going to fall apart so easily and in case the two of you forgot...I'm the oldest sibling here." Rette replied.

"You're heartless." Torin retorted. "Of have you forgotten that just nine months ago...your stomach had been sliced open!?"

"Yeah, sure. Remember that next time you ask for this invalid's help." Rette told him.

Without another word, she turned from him and everyone else and started studying the battlefield. Her eyes raked those fighting before her before she gave a curt nod, ignoring the fuming presence of her brother behind her.

"Good...no one new is among our allies." she remarked lowly.

"So you have them all marked?" Maddox asked, popping up beside his sister.

"Yeah."

Rette's friends looked at each other, wondering what the two were talking about. Rette didn't turn back to explain though. Instead she gave her brothers a look before turning and heading towards the battlefield.

"Where's she going?" Gray demanded.

"Let's just say that sis still has a lot of steam to blow off." Maddox said with a grin.

As Rette headed for the middle of the battlefield, several soldiers attempted to attack her. With a simple flick of her left hand, a whip of light lashed out, driving them back away from her. As she came to stop in the position she wanted to be in, her hands were already moving, mixing her magic. The two types she was mixing though, had her friends concerned.

"Abysmal of the left and Tribulation of the right."

"What the hell are you doing, idiot!?" Gray shouted, hurrying forward to stop her.

Torin and Maddox each grabbed one of his arms, pulling him to a stop. Pissed off, Gray turned to look at them, but Torin, a smile on his face, merely shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. With her greater magical energy and with her now mixing Arc of Tribulation magic with Abyss magic, she's gained control of the magic. She doesn't suffer the side effects of the magic as she once did. Without Amoreta, she doesn't have to hold back anymore." Torin told him, turning his eyes back to Rette. "I told you...Rette isn't the same as she was before. She's stronger now, more confident in herself. These weakling foot soldiers...they never stood a chance."

Above the battlefield, a large silver magic circle appeared as Rette raised a hand. Taking a deep breath, she let the hand fall.

"Abysmal Tribute...Retribution Void."

A dark light fell over the plains before her, covering a large mass of the soldiers before her. Everyone shielded their eyes against the black glow and the rush of air that exploded outward. When the light cleared and they all looked up, they stared wide eyed at the sight before them. Everywhere the black light had touch...was now barren. Aside from those of Rette's allies, not a single form of life was left. Not grass, not flowers, and not the soldiers. All that was left of them was the armor they had been wearing.

Seeing what had become of their comrades, several soldiers made a break for it, running away. Some stayed behind, too devoted to their duty to run even when it was obvious they didn't stand a chance. With their hopes renewed with the appearance of their last missing friend, Rette's friends charged into the fight, taking on those that had decided to stay. Rette, her brothers at her side, joined the fight.

The three fought as if they had fought together for years, speaking of a lot of training together. Rette had probably drilled the two as she had her guild mates in the seven years she had carried the guild. It showed in the way the Starrilia siblings moved. They moved through the crowd of enemies with a quick pace, working their way across the battlefield.

In the middle of their fight, Rette felt a magic fall over the battlefield that brought to life powerful people from the pasts of several of her friends. For Gray and Lyon, it was their teacher Ur, and for Wendy, it was the member of Tartaros she had taken down in order to destroy Face. From the looks of it, the magic brought to life those who were already dead. Rette didn't have any strong opponents from her pasts that were dead.

Thankfully.

She continued to face off with the soldiers, leaving her friends to handle their own battles because she knew they could win. When the sky over head turned dark and another magic fell over them, Rette looked upwards. She could feel Jellal's magic and knew he when he had defeated his opponent on the ships at the harbor. With the three members of the Spriggan 12 defeated, the soldiers were easily dealt with.

Rette quickly left the battlefield when it looked like the rest would be easily handled. Gray questioned where she was going when she suddenly took off. Torin heaved a sigh while Maddox grinned widely back at Gray.

"She's going to her boyfriend, of course!" Maddox said.

"Boyfriend!?" Gray and Lyon yelled.

"When did she get a boyfriend!?" Wendy asked.

"That big, blond brute you call Laxus...yeah, well Rette finally admitted her feelings to him. He'd be stupid not to date her." Torin said, though he didn't sound too happy about it.

This piece of information shocked a few of them because they never expected Rette to admit she liked Laxus, but it was information they could deal with later. For now, they had injured to tend to and they were merely happy to have Rette back home.

They could deal with this new relationship later on.

-0-0-0-0-

Pain.

It was the first thing Erza noticed as she awoke. When she first opened her eyes, she found herself staring at a ceiling she had never seen before. Then Kagura suddenly appeared in her line of sight, smiling when she found Erza was finally awake.

"You've finally awoken." Kagura said in relief.

Surprised, Erza sat up, wincing in pain as her bandage wrapped body protested the movement.

"Relax. You mustn't overexert yourself." Kagura told her.

"Your wounds were terribly deep, so it will take quite a bit of time for you to fully recover."

Erza turned as Wendy spoke, finding the girl sitting on a cot alongside Gray and Juvia. All of them had seen better days, as Gray pointed out, but at least they were alive and in good spirits. Erza was so relieved that she didn't even register when Miliana jumped at her to hug her.

"The...the war...what happened on the battlefield!?" Erza asked.

Gray grinned widely.

"We succeed in taking back Hargeon! The port is back under our control! Jellal and his followers are still chasing out the residual Alvarez troops, but at this point, it's only a matter of time until they're completely eliminated." Gray told her.

"I see...and Rette? Was it really her magic I sensed?" Erza asked.

"Oh yeah." Gray said with a grin. "She showed up. Get this...she no longer has her demon."

"What?" Erza asked, shocked.

"According to her brother, Rette purposely let herself be captured by her father and Zeref so that they would removed the demon from her. The demon now runs around in a magical copy of Rette's body and calls herself Amoreta." Juvia added.

"And Rette?" Erza asked.

"Stronger than ever." Gray assured her. "That aside, for the time being, we're going to return to the guild."

"We're worried about how everyone back at the guild is faring." Juvia added.

"You all can rest easy and leave the rest to Mermaid and Lamia!" Rinsely told them.

Wendy thanked her whole-heartedly. Seeing that her guild mates were ready to continue the fight, Erza eased one leg off her cot.

"In that case, I too shall-"

"Y..you cannot!" Kagura cried, cutting Erza off. "You still need time to recuperate!"

"I do not have that luxury!" Erza replied. "What became of Laxus?"

"After fighting two consecutive battles against mighty foes, he's down for the count, as one might expect. Rette is with him now." Gray said, turning to gesture towards Laxus' cot.

Erza turned, her eyes landing on the figure sitting over Laxus, dabbing at his face with a damp cloth. Erza released a relieved breath when her eyes landed on Rette's lightly smiling face.

"Yeah, she spoiling him."

The sudden voice had all of them turning to where Torin was peeking over the side of a cot a few cots over from them, a displeased look on his face. Maddox was sitting on the cot, cross-legged, watching his brother with interest. It was obvious that Torin was not in a good mood.

"What's up with him?" Gray asked Maddox.

"Oh, he's just jealous. He has this thing about attention from our sister and who is worthy to have it." Maddox replied.

"I'm her brother, for crying out loud! But did she tend my wounds like she has his? NO! She just threw a roll of bandages at me and told me to make myself useful." Torin grumbled.

"See?" Maddox said.

Torin continued to grumble, more to himself as Erza looked between the two. They definitely looked like they were Rette's brothers, but it was still a little strange to think that Rette had siblings.

"Maybe you should grow up and stop yelling." Torin jolted and sank behind the cot more as Rette suddenly appeared behind her friends, her hands on her hips. "Laxus isn't the only one trying to get some rest. And I do believe I only did that because the only injury you had was a cut on your arm."

"It was a really bad cut!" Torin complained.

"Not bad enough for me to look after you over other people more badly injured than you." Rette retorted.

"You're cruel, Sis!" Torin snapped.

"You want to see cruel? Let me find a wooden spoon." Rette said.

Though they didn't get it, Torin's eyes widened in genuine fear. He instantly started shaking his head, repeating the word "no" over and over.

"Then apologize." Rette demanded, whacking him over the head.

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry, Sis." Torin told her, rubbing his head.

This was definitely their Rette. She treated Torin almost exactly like she treated Gray and Natsu when the two got on her nerves. She was just as strict of a sister with Torin as she was an adopted sister with Gray and Natsu. With her brother handled, Rette turned to look at Erza, a smile returning to her lips.

"I'm glad to see you're awake." Rette told her.

Erza smiled as Rette walked over to her cot, taking a seat on the edge. Had she been able to move without being in pain, Rette was sure Erza would have hugged her, just as Juvia and Wendy had when they had seen her. Despite that, Erza looked relieved to see her, some of the tension in her shoulder washing away.

"You're really back." Erza said, heaving a sigh.

"Of course I am. Fairy Tail is my home. You really think I wouldn't come back?" Rette asked.

"No, you're right. Its not like you to leave for good." Erza agreed. Then her expression went from serene to angry. "But what the hell were you thinking, walking into their hands like that!?"

"I know. It was a very risky gamble, but I knew there was a bigger fight coming. Lachlan does not back down so easily. I couldn't afford to hold back anything with the coming fight and with the demon sealed in me...I've always had to hold back for fear of losing control to her." Rette explained.

"But to take such a risky gamble!?" Erza demanded.

"That risky gamble was the only choice I had left. No one but Lachlan and Zeref could remove her from me. And after so many times of rebelling against them and fighting for the opposing side, I knew they would be seeking to take the demon back. So...I let them. In the end, that gamble paid off." Rette replied.

"But couldn't you have learned to control the demon?" Gray asked.

"I know a way to control her, but I needed for her to be taken out of my body. With the way we were, neither could take full control of the body we shared. It was a constant tug-of-war. Now if she's in her own body, the situation is different. We're still connected and I can take advantage of that." Rette explained. "But enough about that. I'll fully explain at another time. I'm just glad to be back."

"And we're glad to have you back. Now...about those two questionable males behind you..." Carla remarked, her eyes going to Torin and Maddox.

Rette glanced over her shoulder at her brothers. Both blinked back in surprise, wondering what they could have done to draw the subject to them.

"They act questionable, but they're not." Rette insisted, raising a "Hey!" from her brothers. "But they really are my little brothers. They're the children that Lachlan had with my Aunt Seraphina, so not only are they my half brothers, they're my cousins too. It's really weird, but the two of them are good guys."

"You make it sound like we're so sketchy." Torin retorted sourly, though it didn't seem to bother Maddox in the least, which made Torin give him an annoyed look. "You should be upset too, you know."

"Why? We are sketchy."

Torin slapped a hand to his face when Maddox bluntly said that. Rette shook her head at her brothers and turned back to face her friends.

"Where I came out more human than Lachlan wanted, Maddox, the youngest of us three, came out more demon. He has the inhuman strength of a demon. Though he's usually careful and doesn't purposely intend to, his strength does sometimes get out of hand. He's a pretty passive kid for the most part, really sweet, as you can see," Rette remarked, gesturing to where Maddox was passively sitting there, a smile on his face, as he watched Torin silently fume. "He's just not pleasant when he loses his temper."

"Than he's definitely your brother." Gray muttered.

"What do you mean?" Rette asked.

"In case you haven't noticed, you don't have such a great temper yourself." Gray told her.

"I suppose you're right. Though most of that dark, votile temper you've seen in the past, came from the demon sealed in me, feeding off my darker emotions. Maddox just has a bad temper." Rette replied. "That said, he's not usually easy to anger. Torin, on the other hand, is different than the both of us. He came out as the perfect balance between human and demon that Lachlan was aiming for. He can switch between a demon form and a human form with somewhat ease."

"I wouldn't say ease, but it's certainly easier for me than it is for you, Sis." Torin piped in.

Rette nodded in agreement. It was never easy, or painless, for someone who was half human, to take on a demon form. It hurt Torin a lot less than it did Rette, but it still hurt him to do so and left his body aching for days afterward.

"There was a fourth one of us, too." Rette said lowly.

"Right. Torin told us about that. You had a little sister too, didn't you?" Gray asked.

"Yeah." Rette confirmed.

"Had?" Erza repeated.

"Jezabelle. She was the youngest of us all...and she looked exactly like me. After all I put Lachlan through when I escaped, he was furious. So much so that he took it out on Jezabelle because she looked like me. Sadly, unlike me, she didn't have the fortitude to survive Lachlan's cruelty for long. She was only seven when she passed away." Rette said, her head hanging. "In a way...it was my fault."

"Don't say that, Sis! You didn't know about any of us. How could you have possibly helped if you didn't know?" Torin said, Maddox agreeing with his brother.

Rette raised her head, giving her brothers a smile. She was grateful for their reassurance.

"I know. I just...I just wished I could have helped her, could have met her." Rette replied.

"She would have loved you, just like we do." Maddox told her.

Rette gave him a smile, turning back to her friends. When she saw the sympathetic looks on her friends' faces, she gave them a small smile.

"Don't look that way. We're fine, all three of us. Lachlan will pay for what he has done. To me, my brothers, our mothers, Jezabelle, and everyone else he's hurt." Rette assured them. "For now, though, we have to worry about the guild and those of our injured."

When she said this, her eyes went to Laxus who was still resting. They then turned to Erza, as if pointedly saying, "That includes you.". Erza pretended not to see the look. Through the whole conversation, though, Kagura had been thinking about something else, her cheeks blushing.

"Erza..." Erza turned to Kagura as she bowed in her seat. "I, erm...I'm not sure how to put this, but...please forgive me."

"Where's this coming from?" Erza asked.

Without answering, Kagura cupped Erza's face between her hands...and kissed her.

While everyone else stared in wide eyed, and wide mouthed, shock, Torin slapping a hand over Maddox's wide eyes, Rette tilted her head, her signature indifferent look on her face. Even Erza stared at Kagura in wide eyed surprise as she pulled back, her face red.

"Please accept this as my apology." Kagura told Erza, though Erza didn't understand what was going on.

"Well...I didn't know you swung that way, Erza. I could have sworn you were in love with Jel-"

"Rette!" Erza gasped, cutting Rette off before she could finish her sentence.

Not that everyone else didn't already know that Erza was in love with Jellal.

"And what about you? You've hardly gone two minutes without checking on Laxus." Gray remarked, expecting Rette to act as she normally did and avoid the topic.

"I confessed my love for him and kissed him."

Jaws dropped once more as wide eyes turned to Rette. Her indifferent look was in place, Rette appearing completely unfazed by what she had just admitted.

"W-wait...what!?"

"I don't see why all of you are so surprised? Now that I've realized what the feelings were, I can admit that I've had a thing for Laxus for years now. It's not going away, either, so love was all it could be. Not to mention, Laxus and I have been through a lot together. Just in the week we spent with Yuri alone, we became close. And it's not like we haven't kissed before." Rette remarked.

"What!?"

Rette leaned back slightly as her friends crowded around her.

"Again, don't be so surprised. When we had Yuri, Laxus insisted on a good morning and good night kiss, every single day. And then there was the so called "family baths"."

" _ **What!?**_ "

Perhaps she shouldn't have said that last part for even her brothers were now up in her face, their eyes wide. Rette heaved a sigh. Why was it that, in the middle of a war, her relationship with Laxus held so much fascination for her friends?

"Calm down, will you. Laxus and I feel the same about each other and have for a while. We've just been...too stubborn to admit it." Rette told them. "And the way I feel about him..."

Rette trailed off. Her friends and brothers watched as a fond expression came over her face, her cheeks coloring a light pink. Just seeing her expression, seeing the love that was obvious in her eyes, they couldn't deny how she felt about Laxus. Erza was just going to make sure that Laxus understood one thing very clearly.

If he hurt Rette, he was dead.

END

Kyandi: Let's welcome back, Rette!

Rette: I wasn't gone that long.

Kyandi: Depends on whether your talking about in story time or out of story time.

Rette: If we get into that, someone is likely to end up with a headache.

Kyandi: True. Once again, sorry for taking so long.

Rette: It's probably her muse's way of protesting the fact that this story is coming close to an end.

Kyandi: You're probably right. But it has to get over it. All stories eventually come to an end.

Rette: True. Speaking of endings, shall we rap up the chapter.

Kyandi: Yes. Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Rette: We'll try to return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


	39. Announcement

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Hey everyone, it's Kyandi-sama here! Sorry for getting your hopes up, thinking this was a new chapter. While there is a new chapter coming, I have a few announcements that I just had to get out to everyone.

First and foremost, recently, I've been a slump. Long story short, a lot of things have happened to me recently. As I've said before, I've moved recently and with the move...a lot of things I've kept buried, have come to light. A lot of bad memories I really wish I didn't have and all that. Not to mention, I've been forced to realize that most of my family and those around me, don't really support me in my writing and drawing, despite the fact that it makes me really happy and has been how I've dealt with a lot of crap in my life over the years. So lately I've had a lot of stress and just haven't had the will or motivation to crank out chapters.

I even considered quitting writing and drawing.

Thankfully, that period only lasted for about four days.

Instead of quitting, I decided that this girl is going back to school! Starting in the fall, I'll be going back to college for a double major in journalism and photography. So wish me luck on that! Sadly, that means that I'm going to have less time for chapters, but I promise, I will still be bringing you chapters as often as I can! I really wish I could get my chapter release on a schedule, but, unfortunately, my brain doesn't work that way. To make up for this decrease, I have some big news.

First off, of course that means that I'm going to try to release as many chapters during the summer as I can. This does not, however, pertain to my Nexus Mage stories. I don't know if you guys have heard, but there was an announcement for a spin-off sequel to Fairy Tail!

EPPPP!

I'm so excited because, personally, I was rather disappointed with the ending to Fairy Tail. I mean, don't get me wrong, I loved the whole story of Fairy Tail, but, come on Hiro Mashima should of had an ending in mind. Even I have my endings somewhat planned out way before I reach the end. But that's me. Hiro Mashima brought us the greatness that is Fairy Tail, so I can't be too harsh.

Anyway, back to my news.

So, yeah, with this announcement, I have decided to put Nexus Mage on a _**temporary**_ hiatus. Let me put your fears to rest now because I will **not** leave it that way. I simply want to find out more about this new series before I continue with the story. Depending on what the new series is like...Nexus Mage just might get a sequel, too.

We will see.

Now for the biggest announcement.

Drum roll, please.

 **I'M GOING TO ANIME FEST!**

That's right, everyone, I'm finally getting the time to go to an anime convention. So, this August, I'm going to be at the AnimeFest in Dallas. If any of you are going to be in the area, then drop by and say hello! I'll be dressed like my dear avatar, Kyandi.

Wolf tail and wolf ears, all.

The striped stockings were difficult to find, by the way.

So, yeah! I hope to see some of you there. I'll be there on the third day, so come and say hello!

With that, I've delivered all of my announcements. I will try to get some new chapters out for my current stories and be sure to check out the three new stories I've just released.

I love you all and thank you all for your continued support!

Love,

Kyandi Akatensei


End file.
